办不到
by Gfyuwatr7
Summary: Some things are just never meant to be, impossible to change. Certain events are fixed in time, lost forever. But what if something did change? What if one little thing changed, a seemingly insignificant tweak to history? Something as simple as a young woman choosing the Boy Who Lived over the Boy Who Died?
1. Chapter 1

_**办不到**_

_**A Harry Potter fan fiction story by Gfyuwatr7**_

Authors Note: Hello, denizens of the Internet, and welcome to my impossible story. I say it's impossible because no matter how hard I wished, Harry Potter and Cho Chang did not get together in the novels or in the films. In fact, I've noticed that Cho gets a bit of a bad rap in the fifth film. We're all entitled to our opinions, but honestly I prefer Cho over Ginny as Harry's love interest, and I would have liked to have seen Cho grow more as a character. But enough of my ranting; this story is (hopefully) the first of many that I will write. This is my take on what should have happened between Cho and Harry when he asked her to the Yule Ball, and how some events deviate from the books and films over the course of time.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of its characters or anything of the sort. They belong to J.K. Rowling. If I did own it, then I wouldn't be writing this story at all.

* * *

"The Yule Ball," Professor McGonagall began, while Mr. Filch attempted to fix the ancient-looking record player in the background, "has been a tradition of the –," she paused briefly at a distraction from Mr. Filch, while the students looked on in nervous anticipation. She continued, "-Triwizard Tournament… since its inception. On Christmas Eve night, we and our guests gather in the Great Hall for a night of well-mannered…frivolity." She paused, gazing at the students gathered around her with a stern look before speaking, "As representatives of the host school, I expect each and every one of you to put your best foot forward; and I mean this literally because, the Yule Ball is first and foremost…a dance." As she paused to let that sink in, all the young ladies in the classroom began to whisper and chatter excitedly, while the boys, on the other hand, began to moan and groan loudly. Harry barely had time to realize the implications of this sudden announcement when Professor McGonagall called for order. "Silence!" she called, and the room quieted down.

"The House of Godric Gryffindor has commanded the respect of the wizarding world for nearly ten centuries." She paused briefly and surveyed the room with a piercing gaze. "I will not have you, in the course of a single evening, besmirching that name by behaving like a babbling, bumbling, band of baboons!" Again she paused, and in the course of a few seconds, Harry lost track of the Professor's next words, courtesy of the Weasley twins, as they began to repeat the Professor's (unintentional?) tongue twister at five times its original speed.

When he refocused his attention, he realized that he missed a good portion of the Professor's next statement, "- breathe!" She turned to the girls and said, "Inside every girl, a secret swan slumbers, longing to burst forth and take flight!"

"Something's about to burst out of Eloise Midgen, but I don't think it's a swan!" Ron remarked, getting a laugh from a few of the boys nearby. However, it seemed that Professor McGonagall had heard him, because her next sentence seemed to be directed at him.

"Inside every boy, a lordly lion prepared to prance." She began to walk towards him. "Mr. Weasley?"

"Yes?" he replied nervously.

"Will you join me, please?" Professor McGonagall asked. Ron, looking as though he were about to sick, rose slowly to his feet. Harry, being a good sport, gave him a shove in the back to get him moving.

As they stepped toward the center of the room, the students erupted into amused whispers and quiet cat-calls. When they stopped, the Professor said, "Now, place your right hand on my waist." Ron, looking baffled, managed to ask, "Where?" before McGonagall grabbed his hand and placed it on her waist. There was a small struggle as one of the students (most likely male) wolf-whistled at him, and he attempted to put his hand somewhere else before the Professor returned it to its position and signaled, "Mr. Filch, if you please…" As everyone looked on in quiet amusement, music began to fill the room. It was a slow waltz, perfect for beginners, as Ron clearly was, for he looked completely out of his depth as Professor McGonagall began directing his steps. Harry, noticing the twins humming and dancing in place near the back of the class, whispered to them,

"Oi! You're never going to let him forget this, are you?" The twins, with a shake of their heads and evil grins on their faces, replied, "Never!"

"Everybody, come together!" McGonagall cried, as the girls all simultaneously rose to their feet to practice. "Boys, on your feet!" The boys all stayed in their seats, slouched and arms crossed, apparently adopting a 'let someone else try first' attitude. This ended sooner than any of them expected, however, when of all people, Neville Longbottom, Gryffindor's resident klutz, was the first boy to rise to his feet and approach the practice space. The others, left with little choice, began to rise from their seats as well. 'This is going to end very badly,' Harry thought to himself dejectedly as he approached a nervous Eloise Midgen.

* * *

"That was pure bloody torture!" Ron groaned as they entered the Gryffindor common room. He collapsed onto the largest couch, directly in front of the fire place. "I've never even heard of a Yule Ball, let alone it being a tradition of the tournament, have you?" he asked Harry as he sat on the floor next to Ron.

"No, never," he replied, wondering how on earth he was going to learn to properly dance in time for the ball. He must have stepped on Eloise's feet ten times during that first practice dance. He didn't really blame her for looking for someone else to practice with afterwards.

"Honestly, you two, if you paid attention to Professor Binns' lectures, you would have seen this was coming!" Hermione snapped as she sat down at a desk nearby. She pulled out a book and began to look for her bookmark as she continued, "He mentioned the Yule Ball in class last week, how could you two have missed that!?" She waved a hand in their general direction, as if ending the conversation, and buried herself in her book. Harry and Ron shared bemused glances, and after a small pause, they left Hermione to her studies and walked up the stairs to their dormitory. As Ron closed the door behind them, Harry realized that Hermione was right; he did vaguely remember Professor Binns, their History teacher, mentioning something about a formal ball or some such thing. Granted, to Harry's sleep-deprived brain at the time, it had sounded more like, "yak-yak-yak-Yule Ball-yak-yak-tradition-yak-yak…" and so on.

"So…," Ron began, looking crest-fallen and defeated, "I guess that means we're going to need to find partners, right?" He sighed, running a hand across his slightly sweaty brow. Ron had done very poorly in the practice session as well.

"Yeah, it looks like it." Harry replied thoughtfully, an idea striking him mid-sentence. An idea that gave him goose bumps and made his stomach churn with anxiety. An opportunity, one might say, but to Harry it seemed like anything but. He knew who he wanted to be his partner, and after slaying a dragon, it should have seemed easy to ask her to the ball.

Except it wasn't. It really wasn't.

* * *

2nd AN: So here it is, the first chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it. I know it doesn't seem to focus on any specific character, but this chapter is just a set-up. I will be focusing more on Harry and Cho's perspectives in the next chapters. Please leave a review, I'm accepting any constructive criticism you may have. I'm hoping to update this story regularly, so if you like it so far please let me know.

PS: I know most of the dialogue is straight from the film, but trust me, I'll be writing more original dialogue in all future chapters. Hang in there.


	2. Chapter 2

_**办不到**_

_**A Harry Potter fan fiction story by Gfyuwatr7**_

Authors Note: Huge thanks to all the people who've read, reviewed, and faved this story. Wasn't really sure what kind of reaction it might receive. You're all keeping me motivated. Rest assured, I plan on seeing this story to the end. Again, any constructive criticism is welcomed.

Disclaimer: I don't Harry Potter or any its characters or ideas, the novels or the films. All of it belongs to J.K. Rowling. If I did own any of it, I wouldn't need to write this story.

* * *

_Chapter 2_

"I can't believe it!" a Ravenclaw fifth-year squealed as she, Cho Chang, and the other Ravenclaw students in their year filed out of Professor Flitwick's classroom. "The Yule Ball! I've never even heard of it, but it sounds amazing! I can't wait to go!" She and her friends moved on, giggling and whispering to one another as they turned a corner in the corridor and disappeared.

"They're very excited, aren't they?" Cho remarked, an amused smile on her lips. She watched as another group of students, this one comprised of boys, passed her and her friend, Marietta, by. They seemed to be much more subdued, all of them muttering nervously under their breaths about this sudden and unwelcome announcement.

"Why wouldn't they be?" Marietta asked incredulously. "This is the one of the most - no, scratch that, this is the most exciting thing to happen to us this year!" She calmed down, looking slightly distracted and worried. "I wonder if anyone will ask me to…" she mumbled, trailing off as she contemplated her possible future.

"Of course someone will!" Cho told her, trying to bring her friend's spirits up. She knew how emotional Marietta could become under stressful circumstances. "And even if no one does ask you, what of it? They'll be the ones missing out, not you."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right." Marietta grumbled. She cheered up very suddenly, however, when she asked, "What about you, Cho? Who do you think will ask you out?"

"Well…" Cho replied guiltily. She was stalling, and she knew it. If Marietta wanted to know something, and especially if that something was some sort of scandalous secret, she would weasel out an answer eventually.

"Come on! You can tell me!" Marietta said, turning around in front of Cho and beginning to walk in reverse as they headed for the Great Hall. "Who do you want to go with?"

"Actually, I wasn't really…planning on…going." Cho mumbled sheepishly, trying to comb her hair over face to cover her small blush. In all honesty, she hadn't been terribly interested in going to the Yule Ball with anyone. Her family had always insisted that her studies were more important than her social life. She had to admit that she had gotten used to it.

"What!?" Marietta exclaimed. She looked scandalized. "The only good thing to come out of this tournament, and you don't even care?" She paused, remembering something, "The only good thing, except maybe that Bulgarian bon-bon, Viktor Krum…mmm…" Marietta mused, lost in her thoughts, a slow smile spreading across her face.

"Stop that!" Cho laughed, mockingly shoving Marietta along the hallway. "I'm serious, I really don't think I'll be going. I have to study for my O.W.L.'s. And so do you!" She reminded her, pointing an accusing finger at her. "You can't just leave your studies aside to worry about some silly dance."

"Alright, yes, I know that, mum." Marietta grumbled again.

At that moment, a group of Hufflepuff boys, including Cedric Diggory, walked past them. As Cedric passed Cho by, he sent a curt nod of acknowledgement in her direction and kept walking.

"Ooh, do you think Cedric will ask you out?" Marietta whispered excitedly. She craned her neck to look over her shoulder at Cedric, who had just walked off in another direction, away from his friends.

"I don't think so." Cho mumbled softly. She had known Cedric for a few years. They had met during her first match as Seeker of the Ravenclaw Quidditch team against Hufflepuff. It had been a close game, but in spite of that, Cedric had introduced himself afterwards and had complimented her flying skills. If Cho was honest, she admitted to herself that she'd once had a small crush on him, and had hoped that one day he would ask her out on a date.

But something happened to him last year, something that changed him. He became melancholic, almost completely anti-social over the course of a single day. He stopped spending time with many of his friends, including Cho herself, and whenever she tried to contact him over the summer, he wouldn't return any of her letters. Even at the Quidditch World Cup, when Cho had run into him, he'd seemed distant. Cho didn't know what bothered her more; the fact that he didn't talk to her anymore, or that she didn't know what had happened to make him like this.

"Why not? Didn't you two have a thing for each other?" Marietta asked skeptically.

"One: that thing you're talking about? That's just your imagination acting up again. Two: I'm not even sure I'm his friend anymore." Cho ended on that dour note as she hurried toward a group of her friends lounging outside in the courtyard. Dinner was about to start, and students from all three schools were waiting outside for the doors of the Great Hall to open.

"And besides, didn't I say I wasn't planning on going to the ball?" Cho whispered to Marietta, hoping that they were still out of earshot of her friends. Unfortunately, this was not the case.

"Wait, WHAT!?" Stephanie Edgley, a Ravenclaw in her fourth year, exclaimed indignantly. Immediately, all of her friends circled menacingly around her, trying to keep her from scrambling away and avoiding their questions.

"What do you mean, 'I wasn't planning on going to the ball'?" another friend asked.

Cho thought to herself, 'Here we go', as she sighed in exasperation, resigning herself to her fate. "I meant exactly that." she told them, a defiant look in her eyes. "I think it's all very silly, and I really don't care for it."

"Even if you think it's silly, I'm sure others don't feel that way." Marietta said, a smug grin on her face. "I bet there are loads of guys here just waiting for the right moment to ask you out." They all nodded in agreement, wondering why on Earth anyone wouldn't want to go to the Yule Ball.

"Look, I have my own reasons, alright?" Cho said defensively. "I don't need to explain them to you."

"Cho, you know us better than that," Stephanie said, a mischievous gleam in her eye as she said it. "We'll find out about these so-called 'reasons' one way or another." They all began to close in on her, arms raised and hands and fingers extended as if about to…

"No!" Cho whimpered, realizing what they were trying to do in front of all the other students. "No, you can't tickle me! Not here!" She began looking around in a panic, trying to find some way out of her predicament. And she saw the perfect distraction in the form of Harry Potter and his friend walking toward them.

* * *

"Why do they always have to travel in packs?" Harry asked Ron as they walked out into the snow-covered courtyard. They noticed many of the girls outside were giggling and looking in their direction. "And how do you get one on their own to even ask them?"

"Lasso one?" Ron suggested. "Got any idea who you're going to try?"

Harry had a very clear idea of who he wanted to try, as Ron put it. The only problem, as he'd said aloud, was getting her on her own to even talk to her. Her name was Cho Chang.

Harry had first met Cho in his third year, in his first match against the Ravenclaw Quidditch team. Circumstances had prevented Harry from facing them in his first and second years at Hogwarts. All she had done was smile at him, and suddenly an odd feeling had passed through him. Not unpleasant, but unexpected and new. He had never felt this way about anyone. And she was a very good Seeker as well. She managed outmaneuver him quite a few times, enough to prompt Oliver Wood, his Quidditch captain at the time, to order him to 'stop being a gentleman' and knock her off her broom if he had to.

Over the course of that year, whenever they saw each other, she would smile and wave, and he would usually drop whatever was in his hands at the moment to wave back. Not very dignified, to say the least. He then saw her at the Quidditch World Cup, but he was too nervous to approach her then, either. Then finally, he met her on the train to Hogwarts, where he again made a fool of himself and simply gawked at her. He also recalled forgetting to buy some sweets for Ron and himself at that point, due to his sudden lack of hunger.

You could say he knew who to ask, but actually doing it was another matter entirely.

Before he could even begin to answer Ron, however, he heard a familiar Scottish-accented voice calling out his name.

"Harry!"

Turning to his right, he saw his person of interest walking towards him, a relieved smile on her face. Immediately, he felt the familiar sensation of butterflies in his stomach, and a small blush began to form on face as he answered the Chinese girl's greeting.

* * *

"Cho! Hi, it's, uh, good to see you!" Harry stuttered, turning to face her. He looked a bit nervous, she noted. He seemed to be shifting, or bouncing, on the balls of his feet.

'It's probably all that bad press he's been getting,' Cho thought sympathetically. 'He must always be on the lookout, trying to make sure no one gets any more information on him.'

Cho herself had never liked reading gossip magazines like _Witch Weekly_, and she would avoid even the _Daily Prophet_ like the plague if she saw that Rita Skeeter's story had made the front page. Unfortunately, someone had decided that Rita Skeeter covering the first stages of the Triwizard Tournament was a good idea. All she seemed to write about was some nonsense about Harry's life, articles that were clearly utter rubbish. What Cho didn't understand, however, was how Skeeter was obtaining her information if she wasn't even allowed on school grounds anymore.

'Can't think about that now, though' Cho thought. She refocused her attention on Harry, who seemed to be worried that she hadn't answered his greeting.

"How are you, Harry?" she asked, getting the conversation moving. "How's your arm?" She gestured at his left arm, which she recalled, had been injured in the First Task.

"Oh, it's much better now, thanks." Harry replied, looking relieved that she seemed to be directing the conversation and not him. "I don't need the cast anymore."

"That's good." Cho said, still smiling. She actually felt a little nervous around Harry, and she wasn't sure why. There was a small pause, as they both waited for the other to say something. His friend ('probably Ron Weasley,'she thought) was looking on with amused interest, but also, it seemed, with a hint of pride. Eventually, Harry broke the silence.

"Um, Cho, I was wondering…" he began. "If you wou - that is, I mean…"

'Oh no, he's not… is he?' Cho thought to herself, panicking slightly. 'How am I going to say no?'

"Oh. My. God." Stephanie whispered loudly. "Is he going to …?"

"This is really happening! Say yes, say it!" Marietta practically yelled.

"What?" Cho, who had still been pondering Harry's halting sentence, was drawn out of her reverie when she heard what her friends were saying.

"S-sorry?" Harry stammered, surprised.

"No, sorry, Harry, I was just…distracted by something. Or, more correctly, someone…" she grumbled, glaring over her shoulder briefly at her friends, before turning back to Harry with an apologetic look. "What were you saying?"

"Um, never mind. You must be busy, I didn't mean to…" Harry paused, looking for some excuse to let her off the hook, but not finding any. "Um…maybe we should…talk later?" He stood there for another moment, looking for something else to say, but finally saying simply, "I should go." He turned and began walking away, looking slightly disappointed.

"What? Wait, Harry, I wasn't…" Cho began, but he was already gone. She covered her face with her hands in frustration and exclaimed, "咳，我真该死! （Oh, I'm such a fool!）"

"What happened, Cho?" Marietta asked sarcastically, while she and their friends surrounded Cho once more. "Felt a little love-struck by the Boy Who Lived?"

"No, that's not it, and you know it!" Cho exclaimed, turning to face her friends impatiently. "If you lot hadn't been distracting me…" As Cho started to rant, she realized that she wasn't sure what she would've said to Harry if he'd asked her to go with him to the ball. For she was certain that that was what he had been working up to. 'What would I have said?' she mused to herself.

"Um, Cho? You alright? You were just about to tell us off…?" Marietta was looking quite concerned. Cho usually had some very interesting things to say about people who got under her skin. It seemed like this was the perfect opportunity to do so, but it looked to them that Cho was lost in her in own thoughts.

"What? Oh, never mind." Cho groaned, walking dejectedly toward the Great Hall, which had just opened its doors. "Let's just go to dinner."

* * *

2nd AN: Thanks again to all those who've read, reviewed, and faved this story. I really do plan on finishing it. I know all too well the feeling of finding a decent story on this site, only to realize the author hasn't updated it in a year.

To orangenie: Thanks for being the first to favorite and review my story, I'm glad you liked the first chapter. I don't really plan on writing anything too crazy in regards to Harry and Cho's relationship, I was hoping to keep it as a straightforward romance. That being said, I do have some tricks up my sleeve, so stay tuned for any future updates and stories.

What's up with Cedric? We'll see…

Lastly, I've hidden some small Easter eggs throughout this chapter, six in total, referencing the original novels or films and other works as well. Let the egg hunt begin…


	3. Chapter 3

_**办不到**_

_A Harry Potter fan fiction story by Gfyuwatr7_

Authors Note: Thank you all again for your positive feedback, you're all motivating me to keep writing this story. If no one reviewed or faved this story, I'd probably stop writing it. I've yet to receive criticism of any kind (though I'll keep asking for it). If I mess up anywhere, please let me know, any criticism is welcome (though I prefer criticism of the constructive kind).

To chaosrin: Thanks for the review, I'm really trying to write Cho in a believable way. I really didn't like how Cho was treated and portrayed in canon, either (especially in the fifth film), so I decided to write this story.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, its characters, ideas, books, films, or anything else in between. It all belongs to J.K. Rowling. If I did own it, I would have written this pairing in the novels myself.

* * *

_Chapter 3_

Harry, Ron, and Hermione were all seated at the same table, finishing an in-class essay in the study hall. Snape hovered over them all, smacking anyone upside the head whom he caught talking when they weren't supposed to. He had already set a new record of victims that period, and Harry and Ron didn't want themselves to be counted among that number.

Although Harry was supposed to be concentrating on his assignment, he couldn't help re-visiting his conversation with Cho a few days ago. She had seemed genuinely interested in talking to him, and he had been surprised by her concern over his arm as well. Granted, most of the students who had turned their backs on him now went out of their way to speak with him, claiming they had been on his side all along. It was utter rubbish, but he didn't want to make any more enemies, now that he had relatively few of them once again.

What truly bothered him at the moment, however, was that even if Cho had initiated their conversation, he still hadn't managed to ask her out to the Yule Ball. He almost had, but 'almost' never got any dwarf a bag of stink worms at a rally, as the saying went ('or maybe it's something else,' Harry thought). Seeing all of Cho's friends quietly laughing at him had made him lose his nerve. He couldn't understand how anyone managed to conquer their fear of asking someone out.

Almost as if he had read his mind, Ron whispered, "This is mad! At this rate, we'll be the only ones in our year without dates-ugh!" Ron grunted as Snape, who had heard him, grabbed the back of his head and shoved it towards the table, stopping just above his books. As Snape walked off, however, Ron grinned and said, "Well…us and Neville."

Harry smiled, replying, "Yeah, but then again, he can take himself!" They both sniggered under their breaths.

"It might interest you to know that Neville's already got someone," Hermione said, looking slightly apologetic. At her revelation, Harry and Ron visibly sagged in their seats.

Ron groaned in frustration and said, "Now I'm really depressed!"

Looking up from his work, Harry noticed Fred surreptitiously passing a note to Ron. As Ron read it, Harry managed to get a look of it as well. It read: _Get a move on or all the good ones will have gone!_

Ron finished reading it, and, making sure he was out of Snape's line of sight, he passed the note back to Fred and whispered accusingly, "Who're you going with, then?!"

Fred, with a 'watch and learn' look in his eye, crumpled up the note into a ball and threw it across the table at Angelina Johnson, fellow member of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. He proceeded to ask her to the ball by a clever use of miming action. Harry, in stunned surprise, watched as Angelina answered with a whispered agreement and a smile. 'How does he do that?!' Harry thought to himself dejectedly. Fred, his mission complete, turned back to his work, but not before winking and grinning at him and Ron.

With a renewed sense of determination (or was it desperation?), Ron turned to Hermione and said, "Why, Hermione, you're a girl."

"Oh, well spotted!" Hermione snapped. It was at that moment, however, that Snape noticed a commotion on their side of the table. As Ron began trying to imitate Fred's tactics on Hermione, Harry started to try to warn him by grabbing his arm. It didn't work; using a book, Snape smacked both Ron and Harry on the heads.

Wincing in pain but recovering, Ron said to Hermione in a low voice, "Come on, it's one thing for a bloke to show up alone. For a girl it's just sad!"

Hermione glared at him and said indignantly, "I won't be going alone, because believe it or not, someone's asked me!" She got up, handed her notebook to Snape, returned to the table to pick up her belongings and left, but not before leaving a parting remark, "And I said yes!" She stalked off, leaving Harry and Ron in stunned silence.

Ron recovered first, muttering, "Bloody hell…" He said something else, but Harry, who had been busy wondering why Hermione had recently been acting out all of a sudden (whether it was S.P.E.W. or some other thing, Harry couldn't keep track anymore), he had little choice but to reply, "If you say so," before turning back to his assignment.

Ron, in a resigned tone of voice, told Harry, "Look, we've just got to grit our teeth and do it!" Harry nodded, remembering why he had been distracted in the first place. "Tonight, when we get back to the common room, we'll both have partners, agreed?"

"Agreed." Harry replied, a new found sense of determination surging within him. Of course, it was at that moment when Professor Snape decided to grab the back of their heads and shove them towards the table, and their long-neglected work, once again.

* * *

"Constant vigilance!" Professor Moody cried for what seemed like the tenth time in the last hour, but even with that, Cho was still having a hard time paying attention to the lesson. Much of this was due to the fact that her friends, for past few days, had been badgering her about Harry Potter and his botched attempt at asking her out. She herself had thought it through many times, trying to figure out why he would he want to go to the Yule Ball with her, of all people.

She knew that some boys fancied her, but again, her parents' constant refusals to allow her to have much of a social life beyond a few friends rang out in her head. Now that she had a chance to have more than just friends, however, she wasn't sure what to do. Harry seemed to be a nice guy, but she knew the kind of attention he received. Cho also knew that he didn't go looking for that attention, but that sure didn't stop Rita Skeeter from trying to dig up nasty things about him and his friends.

'But, what if he tries to ask me out again?' Cho thought to herself for perhaps the fiftieth time that day. 'If he does, how do I say no to Harry Potter? How will he take being rejected? Well, probably better than Marietta did…' As this thought came to her, she turned nervously towards Marietta, who looked very distraught. According to her, she had tried to ask Cedric Diggory to be her partner to the ball, but he promptly broke her heart into a thousand pieces by flatly saying, "No," walking away, and leaving her in the corridor looking foolish. Cho hadn't even known that Marietta had had a crush on Cedric until she'd told her about the incident.

"Marietta," Cho began quietly, trying to avoid arousing Professor Moody's attention, "if you want, I can talk to Cedric for you…" Cedric was really starting to get under Cho's skin. 'What is his problem?' she thought angrily.

"Miss Chang!" Professor Moody shouted with his back turned to the whole classroom. "I would appreciate not being interrupted in the middle of class!"

"Sorry, Professor!" Cho squeaked, shrinking into her seat. Once Moody had begun teaching again, Marietta sent a grateful look in Cho's direction and Cho took her hand under the table to reassure her.

Once class had finished, the gruff professor asked both Cho and Marietta to stay behind for a quick word. "I overheard you two," Moody growled, but not in an unfriendly way. "Sorry about the scare, but this class in particular needs to stay focused. I can't have anyone just start talking in the middle of a lecture." He took out his hip flask and took a swig from it, shuddering slightly as he put it away. "What's the problem?"

"I-It's nothing, Professor…" Marietta mumbled. "Just…other things."

"I'm not buying it." Moody said. "You mentioned Diggory, didn't you?" he asked, turning to Cho. "Is he giving you trouble? I'm a teacher, you know. Can't do my job if no one tells me who to 'teach'."

"It's… the Yule Ball, Professor," Cho said hesitantly, glancing at Marietta briefly before continuing. "Marietta has been so excited about it, and she asked Cedric out, but…," she stopped, unsure if she should continue.

"Oh. Is that all?" Moody said bluntly, shocking them both. "He said no, didn't he? That's rough, but if he didn't even give it a second thought, then he's not worth your time. Simple as that." His magical eye began to swivel, stopping when it seemed to be looking through the back of his head. "Speaking of which…I need to have a word with him anyway. But never mind that." He shifted his attention to them again. "I suggest you forget about Diggory, Miss Edgecombe. If he doesn't give you the time of the day, neither should you. It's about time for dinner, you should both get a move on." On that, he ushered them out of the classroom. He himself did not go to dinner, but limped off in another direction.

"I guess he's right," Marietta mumbled thoughtfully. "He looks scary, but he really understands people, doesn't he? I mean, in his own way." She looked considerably more cheerful, and for that, Cho was glad. Marietta could be a bit of pain, but she was Cho's best friend. And Cho would be damned if she let any insult against any of her friends slide.

"What was that all about?" Stephanie Edgley asked, as she and their other friends turned from their own conversation. They had been waiting for Cho and Marietta to leave the classroom before heading to dinner.

"Oh, nothing. Just homework stuff," Marietta lied smoothly, looking as though she had not been moping for the last few days.

'There's the Marietta I know,' Cho thought, relieved. 'I thought she'd never get over Cedric.' As the others began discussing the class, Cho turned her thoughts to her erstwhile friend. 'What's changed? Has all this attention from the tournament gone to his head? Or the lack of it?' She contemplated this idea, wondering whether he was jealous of the attention Harry had been getting. 'Probably not, none of that attention has been positive in any sense of the word.'

She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice Harry Potter walking towards her until he called out her name.

* * *

"Er-Cho? Could I have a word with you?"

'Here it comes, the moment of truth,' Harry thought. It wasn't made any easier by Cho's friends, who had all erupted into silent laughter. 'Giggling should be made illegal!' he thought furiously. 'They must really be enjoying this. Never mind, just do it!' He felt slightly better when he noticed that Cho herself wasn't laughing at him.

"Sure, okay," she said, following him down the corridor a ways off from her friends. They stopped, and there was a pause before Harry realized that Cho was waiting for him to say something.

"Er," he said again.

'What the hell's wrong with me?! Just ask her!' Harry resolved himself, and with every fiber of his being, asked her,

"Wangoballwime?"

"Sorry? I didn't catch that," Cho said, looking confused and slightly worried.

"Sorry, I meant to say: D'you want to go to the ball with me?" Once he got the words out, Harry felt himself go red. 'Why now?' Harry thought in a panic. '_Why?_'

"Oh!" said Cho, and she went red as well. "Harry, I…I'm sorry. I wasn't planning on going at all." She seemed very sincere. Harry suddenly felt as though his insides were missing.

'This can't be happening,' Harry thought numbly.

"But…," Cho suddenly said, a thoughtful look crossing her face. "But I suppose there'd be no harm in going…and they wouldn't know…" It almost seemed as though she were talking to herself. Her eyes had a far-away look to them.

"Um, Cho?" Harry asked carefully, wondering if she felt alright.

"Hmm? Oh, sorry!" she replied, turning even more red. "I was just thinking about…well, never mind. Um," Cho paused, a small smile gracing her features. "Sure, I'd like to go with you, Harry."

Harry's insides felt like they had returned, and they appeared to be dancing a very energetic jig in his body.

"Really?" Harry asked, slightly dumbfounded. He had been expecting a rejection, and he'd almost had one. He hadn't expected her turn it back around. "I mean, fantastic!"

"Fantastic," she agreed, laughing slightly at his choice of words. It was not a mean laugh either; it was a very gentle giggle, and Harry realized that he would like nothing more than to make her smile more.

"Alright, then…um," Harry paused, wondering if he should say more. "Oh, how was Defense? Professor Moody give any of you a hard time?"

"Um, not really," Cho replied, looking slightly surprised by how direct he was. "He's a good teacher. He really knows what he's doing, but sometimes that eye of his really distracts me!" She paused, laughing nervously and looking around to make sure that Professor Moody himself wasn't around to hear her say these things.

"Yeah, sort of feels like it's following you, doesn't it?" Harry agreed. They both started laughing, both of them wondering whether Moody's eye was following them at that moment.

"Speaking of Defense, Harry, I've been wondering," Cho began, looking very interested. "Remember last year, during our Quidditch match, when you conjured that Patronus Charm?"

"Sure, I remember," Harry replied, a rueful grin on his face. "Good thing those weren't actually Dementors, otherwise I don't think it would've worked."

"It looked strong," Cho reassured him. "I think it would have. I've studied it a bit, mostly just theory, though. It's really advanced magic, who taught it to you?"

"Professor Lupin did, last year," Harry replied. Then without thinking, he added, "Would you like me to teach it to you sometime?"

'What am I thinking?!' Harry thought. 'Where did that come from?! She'll say no, she definitely won't agree to this…'

Cho paused, looking at him as if wondering if he were joking. Realizing he wasn't, she grinned widely and said, "Sure, that'd be great, Harry! When can we start?"

"Huh?" Harry asked stupidly. "I mean, wow, really? I'm not a great teacher, though. I don't think I've ever taught anyone to do, well, anything before."

"Harry," Cho began, a mockingly severe look on her face, "if you offer to teach someone a spell, it means you know what you're doing. Do you?"

"I-yeah of course I do." Harry said, a sense of pride coming over him. 'I do know my stuff, don't I?' Harry thought to himself.

"Well, alright then," Cho said, satisfied. "When can we start?"

"Um…how about this Saturday, before the holidays begin?" Harry proposed, wondering how on Earth this was happening.

"Sure, that sounds good," Cho replied. "Say, about, eleven in the morning?"

"Yeah, eleven's good," Harry replied breathlessly, realizing what he had just done.

"Great, I'll see you around, then." Cho said, and with a smile, began to walk back towards her friends, who had been watching all of this in surprised silence.

"Yeah, see you then," Harry replied in a daze, waving good-bye. Smiling, she waved back, before finally turning around completely and re-joining her friends. As they began walking away, Harry could hear them bombarding Cho with questions, and he noticed them throwing furtive glances at him.

He didn't much care, though. He'd done it. He'd asked Cho Chang to the Yule Ball, and she'd said yes. He was also sure he'd just asked her out on a date, and she had agreed to that, as well. Harry began walking slowly up to the Gryffindor common room, completely forgetting that he was supposed to be meeting up with Ron and Hermione in the Great Hall for dinner.

He wasn't all that hungry, anyway.

* * *

2nd AN: Wow this one took a while to write. Thanks again for all the reviews, follows, favorites, all that good stuff. I'll keep updating as frequently as I can.

Seriously, what's up with Cedric? Things will come to a head soon…


	4. Chapter 4

_**办不到**_

_A Harry Potter fan fiction story by Gfyuwatr7_

Authors Note: As per the request of my editor-in-chief, and of certain reviewers, this chapter will be super-long. You have been warned.

To Ndasuunye: Thanks for the review, I think you're the first to actually criticize me (finally!). I'm taking your advice, I just wanted to mention that there was a method to my madness. I have seen stories (not just HP Universe, but others as well) that are too fast paced, too lacking in suspense or build-up. On the other hand, I've also seen stories that have too much build-up or detail. I was trying to find a middle ground.

To all my readers, maybe it's time to at least partially reveal my plans for this story; this fic in particular will cover all of the Goblet of Fire. I won't rewrite it _ad verbatim_ (obviously), but I will include some of the more important events. Too often, I see stories that just gloss over the things that happen in between tasks or huge events. I am writing this story so that Cho can be more involved, and not just along for the ride. Let me know in your reviews what you all think. All criticism is welcome.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or its characters, ideas, films, novels, or anything in between. That all belongs to J.K. Rowling. If I did own it, I wouldn't be writing this story.

* * *

_Chapter 4_

Harry was sitting in front of the fireplace in the Gryffindor common room, holding the golden egg he had won in the First Task in his arms, staring at it intently. Harry had accomplished his mission, to ask Cho Chang to the Yule Ball; now he had to figure out the clue inside the egg. "I suppose I can't put this off any longer," Harry muttered to himself glumly. He looked over every surface of it, trying to see if there were any instructions, any sort of clue for the next task. _I wish I could ask Sirius about this, _he thought.

He was interrupted, however, by a commotion behind him, near the entrance of the common room. Ron, who looked as though he'd seen a ghost, was being helped to one of the couches around the fireplace by Ginny Weasley, Ron's sister, and by some of the other girls in Gryffindor. They set him down, whispering words of comfort and reassurance to him. It didn't seem to be working.

"What's happened to you?" Harry asked in alarm. He walked over to them, kneeling down next to Ron. He'd only seen that expression on Ron's face a few times, when their lives were in mortal danger.

"He just asked Fleur Delacour out." Ginny answered, a concerned but also slightly amused look on her face.

"You what?" Harry asked incredulously. "What did she say?"

"I don't know what made me do it!" Ron managed to gasp, not answering the question at first. "What was I playing at? There were people-all around-I've gone mad-everyone watching!" He stopped babbling, visibly trying to compose himself. He continued, in a much lower voice, "There she was, walking by-you know how I like it when they walk…" Harry nodded in agreement, remembering very well the Beauxbatons students' dramatic (and enticing, for some) entrance, and Ron's reaction to them. "Couldn't help it," Ron continued, his voice turning almost into a squeak. "It just sort of slipped out…"

"Actually, he sort of screamed at her, it was a bit frightening." Ginny interrupted.

"What did you do then?" Harry asked.

"What else?" Ron answered, his voice returning to normal, but still quite shaky. "I ran for it! I'm not cut out for this, Harry. I don't know what got into me…" As Ron began mumbling to himself in despair, Harry realized that he needed to get Ron back on his feet. He needed to galvanize him, help him remember that he wasn't alone.

So Harry, seized with a sudden (and slightly terrifying) surge of adrenaline, grabbed Ron roughly by the collar of his coat, lifted him to his feet and almost yelled at him, "It doesn't mean anything, Ron! It doesn't mean a thing!"

"Harry, what are you-!?" Hermione, who had just walked in, had a shocked look on her face.

Ron turned toward her, supplicating silently with his eyes. Harry, undeterred, said, "Ron, look at me." Ron turned to him again, confused by his actions.

"Ron, so what if she didn't say anything? If she rejected you? That's her loss! She doesn't know you like I do. Like we do," Harry said, gesturing at all those around him. Everyone nodded in agreement. "There are loads of great girls here, you don't have to look far." Harry let go of Ron's sweater, instead putting a hand on his shoulder. He continued quietly, "We're all here for you, mate. We're going to get through this together. So don't worry about it, all right?"

"…You're right," Ron answered at last, a determined look on his face. "You're right, Harry. It doesn't mean a bloody thing!" He grasped Harry's hand and pulled him into a rough hug.

"Not a bloody thing." Harry agreed. They let go of each other.

Turning to Hermione, Ron asked, in a manner much different from earlier, "Hermione, would you like to the ball with me?"

"Ron, really, I would, but… but I was telling you the truth earlier. I'm already going with someone," Hermione answered, looking extremely apologetic. "I'm really sorry."

"That's okay," Ron said gruffly. "Don't worry about it. I'll find someone."

As everyone began clearing away, Harry noticed that Parvati Patil was still standing near them, looking as though she wanted to say something.

"Parvati? Is something wrong?" Harry asked.

"What? No, nothing's wrong," she answered quickly. "I was just thinking…maybe my sister-you know, Padma-maybe she can go with you, Ron. If that's alright with you, of course."

"You're a lifesaver, Parvati," Ron said gratefully. "Let me know what she says, will you?" With that, he headed off to the boys' dormitory. Harry bade Hermione goodnight, and was about to follow Ron when Parvati stopped him.

"Harry, can I have word?" she asked, looking confident but still slightly shy.

"Sure, what's up?" Harry replied, although he thought he already knew.

"Are you going to the ball with anyone?" she asked. She looked quite red.

Harry hesitated, knowing what he had to say, but not knowing how to go about it. A few others had asked him out, but they were different; he had never met them before, as far as he could remember. Parvati, on the other hand, he had known since he'd begun attending Hogwarts. Granted, he didn't know her as well as Ron or Hermione, but he still considered her a friend. Having to refuse her was not going to be pleasant.

Seeing his hesitation, Parvati's face fell. "You've already got a date, haven't you?" she asked quietly.

"Parvati, I…" Harry said, not really knowing what he was going to say.

"It's okay, Harry," she said briskly, seemingly recovered from her extremely brief melancholy. "I figured you'd already asked someone. Luckily, I have a back-up plan." She looked out the window, gazing out at the Durmstrang ship docked on the lake. "There are plenty of fish in the sea…"

"Um, alright," Harry mumbled, not liking the mischievous glint in her eye as she said these things. "I'll just…head off to bed, shall I? G'night." Harry began walking backwards toward the boys' dormitory.

"Goodnight, Harry." Parvati said dreamily, waving her hand in his general direction, not taking her eyes off the Durmstrang ship as he turned around and walked up to the dormitory.

* * *

_An hour and a half earlier…_

"So? What did he want?" Marietta excitedly asked as she, Cho, and their friends walked away from Harry and towards the Great Hall for dinner. "Did he-,"

"Marietta," Cho replied in a threatening tone voice. "We'll talk about it later."

"Wow, you're going to the Yule Ball with Harry Potter!" Stephanie said with wonder, apparently having not heard what Cho just said. "It'll be so romantic…I wonder what he's like!"

"I said, we'll talk about it _**later**_!" Cho grumbled. _I should've known this would happen,_ Cho thought. _Why couldn't Harry have asked me out somewhere more private? Like the library, or maybe the Owlery? Would that have been so hard?_

* * *

_Present_

"Alright, Cho," Marietta began, hands on her hips. "We all decided not to talk about this at dinner, because that dunderhead Roger Davies was there. But now you're going to tell us _exactly_ what you and Harry were talking about." They had just returned to the Ravenclaw common room, having rushed through dinner to return.

Cho dragged a hand across her face in exasperation. "哎呀，真可气！" she muttered under her breath, before saying in English, "Look, I appreciate you all keeping quiet at dinner, but can't we save this for another time? It's been a long day…"

"No chance," Marietta said firmly. "Spill."

"All right, fine." Cho groaned, embarrassed. She told them everything about her and Harry's conversation, from his asking her out to the Yule Ball, to his offer of teaching her the Patronus Charm that weekend. When she had finished, they all sat back in stunned silence.

"Wow. Well, it's about time." Marietta finally said. She settled back comfortably on her armchair, a smug smile on her face. "Who would've thought the famous Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, fancied little old you, Cho."

"Look, it's not like that…" Cho sighed in exasperation. "I'm interested in learning the Patronus Charm, and he's willing to teach it to me. That's all."

"What about the ball, though?" Stephanie reminded her. "There's no excuse for that, you know. The only reason he'd ask you out would be because he likes you, right?"

"Right…" Cho agreed warily, feeling as though she were being lured into a trap. She knew where this line of thought was going.

"And if you said yes, then that means you must like him too, right?" Stephanie finished smugly.

"It's not… I mean…" Cho stuttered, turning slightly pink. "Okay, so what if I do? He's…nice! What's the big deal?"

"The big deal, Cho," Marietta said, still smiling slightly but also serious, "is that he's _**the**_Harry Potter. Ever notice how much trouble he gets into?"

"I'm sure you're point is right around the corner, but if you could please make haste…" Cho replied, trying to be sarcastic but knowing exactly where her friend was going with this train of thought.

"My point is, you're planning on having a study session and a date together." Marietta said, undeterred by Cho's tone of voice. "It may not seem like much, but I've noticed the way he looks at you. I think he might have more than just friendship on his mind. And if he does, where does that put you?"

Cho didn't answer at first, thinking through Marietta's words. _She has a point,_ she thought. _Does Harry want to be more than friends? Obviously, but then that leaves me. What do I feel about him?_ As she thought about it, she realized that she held him in high regard. Besides being the Boy Who Lived, he was a great Seeker, not to mention that he seemed to be quite talented at defensive spells. But what impressed her the most was his apparent lack of ego. She'd never seen him act out simply for attention; every time he ended up in the hospital wing for the past three years, the staff had always tried to keep things quiet. Unsuccessfully, of course.

And then there were his looks. Her mother had always taught her that what was inside a person, their personality, was more important than outward appearances. But Cho wasn't blind, either. She had noticed Cedric (at first), and if she had to be honest, she'd noticed Harry, as well. While he wasn't exactly muscular, in the traditional sense, he was still attractive. And then there were his eyes…

"…Cho? You alright? You've got a funny look," Stephanie said, looking worried.

"Hmm? What? Oh…I should go," Cho said abruptly, trying to rise from her seat on the couch. Her friends, of course, weren't going to let her get away that easily. They grabbed her by the arms and yanked her back down, none too gently, either.

"Cho, wait!" Marietta huffed. "Weren't you listening to a word I said?"

"Yes, I heard you very well, thank you," Cho replied coolly. "And I think I've got date with Harry Potter on Christmas Eve. Also, the holidays are still a ways off, so we have classes in the morning. I suggest we all go to bed now. Goodnight." Cho untangled herself from her friends and walked away toward the girls' dormitory.

"That girl really needs to sort out her priorities…" Stephanie muttered, while everyone else dispersed. It was at that moment that Roger Davies, Captain of the Ravenclaw Quidditch team, arrived from dinner. He spotted Marietta, and, not seeing the look on her face, walked over to her.

"Marietta, you seen Cho around? I wanted to ask her something. You know, about the dance and stuff." Roger said, a confident smile on his face.

It withered somewhat, however, when Marietta answered, in an odd tone of voice, "You're too late, Roger. She's gone." She got up and left for the dormitories, leaving a confused Roger behind.

* * *

_The next day…_

Harry, Ron, and Hermione were in the Great Hall having breakfast, when Ron, glancing over at the Ravenclaw table, caught Cho Chang staring at Harry before noticing she'd been caught and turning away hurriedly.

"Oi, mate, looks like you've got another admirer," Ron told Harry, smirking. Harry, a drink in his hand, turned around in his seat. He had been taking a sip from his pumpkin juice. He was just in time to catch Cho's glance and wave, and he waved back in response. When he turned back to his friends, they saw to their amusement that he had spilled the pumpkin juice he'd had in his mouth over his front. It hadn't been the first time, either. He'd done much the same thing on the day they all found out about the Yule Ball from Professor McGonagall.

"So, Harry," Hermione said, a knowing smile on her face. "I forgot to ask, but have you asked someone out yet?"

"What?" Harry choked out, spilling more of his juice. "I mean, yeah, I did." He scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"Whoa, Harry!" Ron exclaimed. A few of the students seated nearby threw them curious glances. He frowned at them, and once they'd turned back to their plates, he continued in a lower voice, "That's brilliant! Who's the lucky lady?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Hermione said, in a condescending sort of way. "He asked Cho!"

"You mean Cho Chang?" Ron asked, suddenly looking doubtful. "But she's the Seeker for the Ravenclaw Quidditch team, isn't she? Won't that be a bit…I don't know, awkward?"

"Hadn't thought of that, actually," Harry said ruefully. To be honest, whenever Harry thought about Cho, his thoughts seemed to become quite unfocused. "It won't be a problem, though," he continued firmly. "Nothing wrong with a bit of healthy competition."

"Well, if you say so…" Ron replied, still unsure. He retreated behind his breakfast, casting nervous glances between Harry and Cho.

"Actually, there's something else…" Harry began. He stopped, not sure whether he should tell them about his private lessons with Cho that weekend. "I'm going to teach her the Patronus Charm this weekend."

"Whoa, really?" Ron asked, surprised but looking proud as well. "Good on you, Harry!"

"Good for you, Harry," Hermione said, smiling. But Harry noticed that now she seemed worried.

"What is it, Hermione?" Harry asked.

"It's nothing, really. I just think… I think you should be careful," Hermione replied carefully. "She's in her fifth year, so that means she knows more spells than we do. Or more than you two, at least," she said smugly. She continued in a more serious tone, "What I'm trying to say, Harry, is that you shouldn't be surprised or offended if she knows more than you do. I just don't want you to be caught off guard."

"I…I hadn't thought of that, either," Harry mumbled. He'd been so caught up in everything that had happened in the last few days to remember that Cho was a year older than him. "Thanks, Hermione. I'll keep it in mind."

"Don't mention it," Hermione replied, sitting back more comfortably on her seat. She seemed to have relaxed somewhat. "So, where are you two going to practice?"

"…Ah."

* * *

Cho was climbing the stairs towards the Ravenclaw Tower when she noticed Cedric walking down a corridor. He was about to turn a corner when Cho called out to him.

"Cedric!"

He jumped slightly at the volume and tone of Cho's voice. He turned around, surprise written on his face as he said, "Cho! I didn't see-,"

"Cedric, I think you have some explaining to do," she interrupted coolly, folding her arms over her chest in defiance. "About a friend of mine, Marietta. Maybe you know her? Curly red hair, has freckles?"

"What's this about?" He paused, a look of recognition passing across his face. "Oh, her! I remember her. She's your friend, right? How is she?"

"Oh, she's doing fine, considering you turned her down in the most immature and hurtful way possible, but besides that, she's fine," Cho replied sarcastically.

Cedric paused, looking slightly offended and surprised by her tone of voice. He recovered, trying to put on a charming smile for her, the one that used to make her heart flutter. "Cho," he said, in a cajoling sort of way. "I'm not into dances or any of that sort of thing, you know me better than that."

"Do I?" Cho asked quietly. The way he was treating this whole situation, as if it were all a joke, was making her stomach churn with disgust at her old friend. "I don't think I even know you anymore, Cedric. You've changed, and not in a good way."

Cedric stopped smiling. Instead he looked tired and weary. "What do you want from me, Cho? I'm sorry if I hurt your friend, I was just…" he stopped, an odd look on his face. "She just caught me at a bad time. Look, I'll apologize to her, if it makes you feel better."

"I just want her to feel better," Cho replied gently. She paused, waiting to see if he wanted to say anything more. When he remained silent, she said, "If you need someone to talk to, you know where to find me."

"I appreciate it, but I'll be fine," he said roughly. "I'll see you around." He walked off, his footsteps going at a faster pace once he had turned the corner and was out of sight.

_I really don't know him anymore, do I?_ Cho thought sadly.

* * *

_Saturday_

In the end, Harry managed to convince Professor Moody to allow him and Cho to use the Defense classroom for their practice session. He would be in his office at the back, literally keeping his magical eye on them to make sure they didn't accidently hurt each other or break something. It had been quite uncomfortable asking for permission the day before, because as soon as Harry had asked, Moody had stared at him for a whole minute without blinking before finally agreeing.

Harry had decided not to wear anything terribly fancy, as technically this wasn't a date. However, he did try to make himself a bit more presentable by trying to comb his rebellious hair (it didn't work) and by wearing slightly neater clothing than he usually did.

Heading down to breakfast a little later than usual, Harry managed to spot Cho sitting by herself at one side of the Ravenclaw table. He wasn't sure if he should join her there, but as soon as he entered the Great Hall, she looked up at him, smiled, and beckoned him over. Slightly uncomfortable with some of the looks he received from the other Ravenclaws who were seated further off, he sat down next to her.

"Hey," Cho said, smiling. Harry noticed that she seemed to have adopted his strategy: she was dressed neatly, but not overly formal. A simple white skirt, striped blouse and black cardigan made her look quite pretty in his opinion. She was also wearing her hair up in a bun, at least partially. The rest hung down her shoulders.

"Hey," Harry replied, thankful that he had refocused his attention in time to reply. "Ready for today?" He wasn't sure why he was asking, but he felt that he couldn't leave their conversation with just _hey_.

"I hope I'm ready," she replied, looking hopeful. "I've never tried anything as advanced as the Patronus Charm. Where will we be practicing?"

"The Defense classroom. That's where I learned it. Don't worry, I got Professor Moody's permission first," he said reassuringly, noticing the brief look of alarm on Cho's face at the mention of the scarred professor. "He'll be in his office, though, keeping an eye on us. Is that alright with you?"

"It's no problem," Cho replied, looking relieved. "Actually, I think it's a good idea to have a teacher nearby, just in case something goes wrong. But I'm sure I'll be in good hands with you, Harry," she teased.

"Of course, Cho," Harry said, quite serious and not noticing that she had been teasing him. "If things get out of hand, we can stop right away."

"Um, sure," Cho replied. She looked a bit nervous, as though not sure whether to say something on her mind. "Harry, do you mind if the Patronus Charm isn't the only thing we practice today? I was thinking, since you've been busy with this tournament, maybe you haven't had time to practice other spells." She stopped, blushing slightly before continuing, "Not that I'm saying you're bad, or anything like that, but you know…"

"Sure, we can do that," Harry agreed, glad that Hermione had warned him earlier about this turn of events. He liked Cho very much, but if Hermione hadn't warned him and Cho had brought this up, he was sure he wouldn't have reacted this well. "I don't mind at all."

"太好了!" Cho replied enthusiastically, before turning red and saying, "I mean, that's great, Harry! Sorry I said that just now, it just slipped out."

"No worries," Harry said reassuringly. "Was that in Mandarin? What you just said?"

"Yeah, it was," Cho said, looking pleased that he'd known. "It means 'that's great', roughly." She glanced briefly outside, looking surprised. "Harry, do you have the time? I think it's about to be midday by now."

"Yeah, I think it is," Harry replied, glancing briefly at the giant hourglass in the Great Hall. "Let's just finish our breakfast and we can head over there."

They sat in comfortable silence as they ate their breakfast. Once they were done, they got up, gathering their things before leaving the Great Hall and heading for the Defense classroom.

* * *

"I'll be back there," Moody growled, limping towards his office. "Let me know if you need anything."

"Of course, Professor," Harry replied quickly. As soon as Moody closed the door to his office behind him, Harry turned around, smiling nervously. Cho noticed that he seemed to be fidgeting slightly.

"So…," they both began. They laughed nervously at each other. _Why are we so nervous? This isn't a date…I think_, Cho thought. _He's just going to teach me a spell, and then I might teach him a few. There shouldn't be any reason to be nervous…_

"Are you ready to begin, Cho?" Harry asked politely, becoming a bit more serious.

"Of course, let's get started," Cho replied, turning serious as well. The butterflies that had started gathering in her stomach disappeared, though not completely. She knew that this was going to be serious lesson.

"Okay, so judging by what you've told me, you already know the theory behind the Patonus Charm, right?" Harry asked. "Why don't you tell me about it?"

"Sure. The Patronus Charm is a spell that is used to repel Dementors. It's supposed to be a guardian of sorts, a projection of your most positive feelings and memories. Generally, the happier the memory you use to conjure the Patronus, the stronger it will be. Of course, this is also one of the most difficult spells to master. Even highly trained witches and wizards have trouble conjuring an intangible Patronus. Those who manage even that are considered to be extremely gifted," Cho paused, smiling knowingly at Harry before finishing, "Does that cover it?"

"Yeah, I think you've got it," Harry replied, looking quite red. It seemed that he caught Cho's implication that he was gifted. He took out his wand, motioning to Cho not to take hers out yet. He demonstrated the wand movement, a circular motion. "The wand movement behind this spell is actually quite simple; the real trick is choosing the memory to use as the template. To make even a small Patronus, the memory has to be a truly happy one. It can't just be, for example, the first time you rode a broom. Believe me, I tried," Harry said ruefully, smiling fondly at the memory of it.

"Oh, that's too bad," Cho said glumly. "I was just thinking about that."

* * *

_Sometime later…_

In the end, Cho wasn't able to conjure a fully tangible Patronus, managing only a fragile wisp of smoke from the tip of her wand. She was undeterred, however, and was determined to master the spell, no matter how long it took. Harry admired her tenacity.

Afterwards, Cho began introducing him to more advanced magic, particularly working on his Charms and Transfiguration work. She began to teach Harry the Vanishing spell, and also helped him to perfect the Summoning Charm ("It was almost perfect, Harry. Your broom just should've reached you a bit faster, that's all."). Learning these spells made Harry begin to believe he might not only keep up with his schoolwork, but perhaps even surpass this year's curriculum._ I might even stand a chance against the others in the tournament, _Harry thought. He knew the other champions had the advantage of more experience, but maybe with Cho's help, he might just surprise them.

As they walked towards the Ravenclaw Tower, Cho was explaining some of the theory behind Inanimatus Conjuration to him. They had just arrived at the staircase for the Ravenclaw Tower, when suddenly Cho's friend, Marietta, came running around the corner. Spotting Cho, she squealed in delight and ran straight at her, hugging her tightly enough to make Cho short of breath. Having not noticed Harry, Marietta, letting go Cho long enough to let her breathe, told her, "Guess what, Cho? Guess what? Cedric asked me to the ball!"

"Wait, what?!" Cho yelled, slightly harshly. "I mean, Marietta, when did this happen?" Cho was trying to look interested and supportive, but Harry could tell she was very uncomfortable with this turn of events.

"Well," Marietta began dramatically, "I was leaving the library about fifteen minutes ago, and he bumped into me! I noticed it was him, and I was so embarrassed, but he stopped me and he apologized!" Marietta paused for breath and then continued, "And then he asked me out! I still can't believe it." She was practically squealing for joy now.

"Well, Marietta," Cho began nervously, "let's go inside and…we'll talk some more about it, how does that sound?"

"Sure," Marietta hummed happily. She walked up the stairs, seemingly floating, and disappeared from view. Cho turned to Harry apprehensively, biting her lip nervously.

"Um…sorry about that," Cho mumbled sheepishly. "She's …always been like that way."

"Oh, that's alright," Harry said quickly. "It's good that's she's got a date, isn't it?"

"Well, I hope so," Cho muttered, a strange look flashing across her face briefly before disappearing. She looked up at him, smiling shyly and turning a little red. "I, um, I really appreciate you teaching me that spell, Harry. And for letting me teach you some as well. I hope they weren't too hard for you?"

"Not at all," Harry replied earnestly. "Well…maybe a little," he teased. Cho laughed, seemingly distracted from her earlier worries.

"Good to know," Cho said, still smiling. "See you at the ball?"

"Yeah, definitely," Harry replied breathlessly. "I'll see you there." As he said this, he began slowly walking backwards, and Cho began doing the same. They waved one last time before losing sight of each other, and finally they turned around and walked away.

* * *

_Christmas Eve night_

"Bloody hell!" Ron muttered, looking at himself in disgust in the mirror. He adjusted himself this way and that, but no matter what angle he turned himself, he never looked good. "Bloody hell!" he muttered again, trying to make the lace sleeves of his hideous dress robes look a little less noticeable. As Harry walked into the dormitory, Ron mumbled, "Bloody…" once again, before noticing him. As soon as he did, he blanched and asked indignantly, "What are those?!"

Harry paused in the doorway, helplessly glancing and gesturing at his dress robes as Ron asked the same question again. "My dress robes," Harry answered defensively.

"Well, they're alright!" Ron practically yelled. He quieted down some as he continued, "No lace, no dodgy little collar…"

Harry, trying to calm Ron down, tried a conciliatory approach. "Well, I expect yours are more traditional-," he was interrupted, however, by Ron's strangled repetition of the word.

"Traditional?! They're ancient! I look like my Great-Aunt Tessie!" He paused, smelling his robes suspiciously. "Smell like my Great-Aunt Tessie!" he groaned. He turned once more to the mirror, with Harry joining him. As they stood there, Ron told Harry something that summed up what he was feeling at that moment, a feeling that he would not survive the night. Those words were,

"Murder me, Harry."

* * *

2nd AN: Thanks again for reading this horrendously long chapter, I'll try to keep it at a more manageable level (unless no one wants me to). It took a while for a few reasons. One: I've never written anything this long before. Two: I've managed to get a job. This also means that I won't be able to update as often as I would like to. I hope you all can understand this.

But fear not, dear readers; I don't plan on abandoning this story or any of my future ones. I hope to continue writing on this site for a long, long time. Thank you all for reviews, faves, follows, and all that good stuff. As always, all criticism is welcome.

I plan to have the Yule Ball be all in one chapter, the next one. Once that's done, I'll try to move things along a little faster.

To chaosrin: Just a little side note here, there is a reason behind Cedric's douche-baggery, although this chapter probably won't help with that. And don't worry about the dwarf-joke thing, it's just a reference to the Artemis Fowl novel series.

Thanks again to all, and take care.


	5. Chapter 5

_**办不到**_

_A Harry Potter fan fiction story by Gfyuwatr7_

Author's Note: Thanks to all of you again for reviewing, faving, and following this story, it really helps to keep me writing.

Yes, I'm still alive.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or its ideas, characters, novels, films, or anything in between. It all belongs to J.K. Rowling. Ah, but if only…

* * *

_Chapter 5_

After Harry and Ron had finished changing into their dress robes, they left the dormitories into the common room, where they met up with Seamus Finnigan, Dean Thomas, and Neville Longbottom, their fellow classmates and friends. All of them, especially Ron, looked quite self-conscious in their dress robes. Ron improved his somewhat by using a Severing Charm, cutting off the frills and lace, but now it looked quite frayed.

"I still can't work out you got one of the best-looking girls in the year, Ron," Dean muttered.

"Animal magnetism," Ron said gloomily, pulling away stray threads from his dress robes.

"Wait a tic, who're you going with, Harry?" Seamus asked. They had all just left the Gryffindor common room, and were heading down to the Great Hall, where the dance would be taking place. "You're not going by yourself, are you?"

"Er-you'll see," Harry stammered, not completely prepared for the question. In all honesty, he wasn't sure he was ready for this dance at all. In his scramble to ask Cho out, then preparing their lesson together, and continually attempting to work out the clue of the golden egg, he had completely forgotten that he didn't really know how to dance. Sure, he knew a bit, but he didn't think it would be enough for a whole night. _I'll just have to wing it,_ Harry thought nervously.

Yes, for better or worse, this would be a night to remember.

* * *

"Marietta, stop worrying! You look fine!" Cho said exasperatedly. She and Marietta were right outside the doors of the Great Hall, waiting for their partners. It seemed as though the whole school was crowded around them that night, however. Many of the students had already moved into the Hall, but the teachers had asked the champions and their partners to wait outside. Cho wondered if Harry wasn't already there, looking for her.

"That's easy for you to say!" Marietta grumbled. "You look gorgeous!"

"Why thank you, Marietta," Cho replied sarcastically. In truth, she was actually quite nervous. She had never been to a dance before, as far as she could remember. _Let alone with a boy_, Cho thought ruefully. She hoped she looked gorgeous to Harry. As long as he thought so, she didn't care what anyone else thought. _Speaking of which, is that him?_ Cho thought, panicking slightly as Harry appeared at the top of the staircase with his friends. As he stood there looking for her, she waved at him. He caught sight of her and froze slightly, but then he waved back and began to make his way towards her. As he did, Cho began to fidget nervously with the sleeves of her robes. She was wearing a set of white dress robes, a qípáo to be precise. It had a more European look to it, with a keyhole in the front, and with bell-shaped sleeves that reached past her hands. Her hair was done up into an elegant bun, with a few strands of hair falling to frame her face.

All of a sudden, Cho heard Marietta sighing with delight. She looked over her shoulder, and her stomach lurched again, though not in the same way as Harry's appearance had. Cedric Diggory had appeared, looking quite handsome, if a bit ill at ease. He was wearing an almost Victorian-style set of black dress robes, with what looked like a hood at the back. Cho wasn't sure, but she had a feeling that Cedric had more than just dancing planned for the night.

"Good evening, ladies," Cedric said smoothly, holding out his arm for Marietta to wrap hers around. She did so graciously, looking as though all her dreams were coming true. And for her sake, Cho really hoped so. Cedric continued, slightly derisively, "What a surprise, Cho. I didn't think you'd be coming."

"Well, Ced," she replied mockingly, using the nickname his friends used to call him by, "you thought wrong."

"So it would seem," Cedric said, raising his free hand in mock surrender. "Who's the lucky fellow?"

"Oh my God, Cedric, you wouldn't be believe it," Marietta said excitedly, apparently completely oblivious to the fact that he hadn't said a word to her since he arrived. "She's come with Harry Potter!"

"Potter?" Cedric asked, looking thoughtful. A moment later, he smiled slightly, genuinely for once. "He's a good guy, Cho. I'm glad you've come with him."

"Um, thanks," Cho mumbled, surprised at this sudden change in him. For a moment, he'd looked like his old self again.

"We'll see you later, Cho!" Marietta said cheerfully, as she not-so-subtly turned Cedric away from Cho, and began walking closer to the doors of the Great Hall. The moment was gone, and as Cedric moved away, his face became a mask of indifference once again.

"Be careful, Marietta," Cho whispered softly. "Don't get too attached to him."

As she turned away reluctantly from them, she began looking for Harry among the crowd. He wasn't anywhere to be seen. Cho began to panic once again, wondering if he had seen her talking to Cedric and had gotten the wrong idea, when suddenly he emerged from the crowd right in front of her. "Hey, Cho," he greeted her breathlessly, looking as though he'd struggled to reach her through the sea of students and teachers. He took in her appearance, looking quite red as he managed to say, "Wow, you look…beautiful!"

"Thanks, Harry," Cho replied shyly, her encounter with Cedric pushed to the back of her mind as she returned his compliment. "You look very handsome, yourself." For he did indeed, in a simple set of black (_or were they a very dark green?_ she thought) dress robes, with a neat white dress shirt and matching bow tie underneath.

"Oh-erm-thanks," Harry stuttered, becoming an even deeper shade of red, if that were even possible. Cho giggled at his shyness.

"Potter, there you are!" Professor Mcgonagall said, approaching them quickly. "Are you and Miss Chang ready?"

"Ready, Professor?" Harry asked apprehensively.

"To dance," she replied impatiently. "It's traditional that the three champions, or in this case four, are the first to dance. Surely I told you that?"

Harry looked completely dumbfounded as he replied, "No."

"Oh, well, now you know," Professor Mcgonagall said, looking quite harried. It was going to be a busy night for everyone, it seemed. She looked over Harry's shoulder and saw someone she had been looking for, saying to them, "Oh, there you are!" and leaving Harry and Cho standing nervously near the entrance to the Great Hall.

"I don't know how to dance," Harry told Cho numbly. He looked quite perturbed by this turn of events.

"At all?" Cho said, surprised. "You've never practiced?"

"Well, a little, yeah," Harry replied, slightly defensively. "But I don't think it'll be enough for one whole night."

"Okay…" Cho said slowly, gathering her thoughts, trying to remember what little dancing experience she herself had. _I suppose I can't complain,_ she thought ruefully. _I don't know much more than he does._ "Just…follow my lead, okay? We'll get through this."

"Sure, alright," Harry replied, not sounding too convinced.

"Come on, Harry," Cho teased. "Don't you trust me?"

"No, of course I do!" Harry said quickly. "I'm just nervous, that's all."

"I am too," Cho replied reassuringly. As she said this, they noticed that Professor Mcgonagall had gathered most of the champions and their partners together, instructing them to form a procession. As they hurried to their places, Harry, looking very self-conscious, offered his arm to Cho. She took it graciously, trying to put him at ease with a smile. It seemed to work.

While they waited, Cho glanced around briefly at the other champions. She noticed that all of them were there; Harry, of course, then Cedric with Marietta, and then there was Viktor Krum. He seemed to be the only one without a partner. _I suppose that's who we're waiting for,_ Cho thought. She was surprised to see Roger Davies, the captain of her Quidditch team, with Fleur Delacour. _Those two were perfect for each other,_ Cho thought, a bit unkindly. She had seen Fleur as rather stuck-up since the moment she arrived, and it had annoyed her to see so many of the boys drooling over her. Even boys from Ravenclaw, who should know better, were just as smitten with Fleur and the other Beauxbatons girls as the ones from other houses were.

Just then, she noticed Krum suddenly looking up at the staircase behind them, looking as though he were in a dream. She turned around, and was very surprised as Hermione Granger, one of Harry's friends, descended the staircase. What little Cho had seen of her, Hermione had always seemed average (in a good way, of course), but tonight she looked positively radiant. Her hair was sleek and shiny, tied up into an elegant knot at the back of her head. Her robes were a light pink color, not pasty at all, and they were made of a floaty material. She looked very nervous, but was smiling nonetheless.

"She's beautiful," Cho mumbled to herself.

"Who?" Harry asked distractedly. Cho turned him around, and when he caught sight of Hermione, he too looked very surprised.

"Hi, Harry!" Hermione said excitedly. She paused briefly on her way to Krum to extend her hand to Cho, saying, "It's really nice to meet you, Cho."

"Likewise," Cho said, looking nervously between her and Harry, who still looked quite dumbfounded. After shaking hands and smiling some more, Hermione joined Krum in the champion's procession. Cho wasn't sure if she should feel bad about feeling relieved that she had left. _She's just Harry's friend,_ Cho thought determinedly. _That's all they are, just friends._ But she still felt a bit uncomfortable about the way Harry had looked at Hermione.

She didn't have time to think any more on this, as the doors to the Great Hall opened at that moment and their procession began to move forward. As they moved in, Cho could feel Harry begin to tense up, his breathing becoming a bit shorter. She noticed that she herself was doing the same. She squeezed his arm, trying to reassure him, and he responded by turning to her and smiling.

Looking around at the Great Hall, Cho couldn't help but feel amazed at how beautiful everything looked. The entire Hall seemed to be glowing a dazzling white and blue, it looked to be completely made of ice and snow. Speaking of snow, there was a very light frost falling from the enchanted ceiling, stopping and disappearing just above everyone's heads. There were also very large Christmas trees lining the walls of the Hall at regular intervals, and they were decorated with a large assortment of different colored baubles and trinkets. She also couldn't help noticing the rather large amount of mistletoe branches dangling from practically every archway in the room. _Now, I wonder why that would be,_ Cho thought sarcastically. She really would have liked to have a word with whoever had come up with this brilliant idea.

As the champions and their partners walked onto the dancing floor, she noticed many of her friends giggling at her and Harry, giving them the thumbs-up and grinning like a bunch of loons. She tried to ignore them as she took her position with Harry on the dancing floor. She noticed that he was looking a bit lost as to where he should put his hands.

"Harry," Cho whispered, kindly but firmly, "put your hand on my waist."

"What?" Harry whispered back, looking quite panicky. He was avoiding her gaze, looking down at his shoes instead.

"Harry, look at me," she whispered gently. He did so, pleading silently with his eyes. "Follow my lead, okay? Remember what I said earlier. We'll be alright."

"Okay," Harry replied nervously. He carefully put his right hand on her waist, extending his left one to the side and taking Cho's right. She placed her other arm above Harry's. Just in time, the music began to play, a slow waltz. Cho began to subtly lead Harry in the steps, whispering the steps to him, "One, two, three, one, two... there you go, Harry!" He began to lead with more confidence, even as the tempo began to increase and he was required to perform more complex maneuvers. He managed to keep pace with the music, twirling Cho at the appropriate moments and even taking hold of her waist with both hands, hoisting her up briefly before setting her down again and continuing to dance.

_He's doing really well, actually,_ Cho thought admiringly. She'd had her doubts, but he was proving to be quite good. Soon enough, the teachers began to join the champions on the dance floor, with a beaming Dumbledore and a surprisingly cheerful Mcgonagall taking the lead. Others, teachers and students alike, began following suit. Cho began to feel more at ease, and she could tell Harry was enjoying himself as well. He was looking her in the eye, taking her in. She began to feel her heart fluttering, and a blush, completely unrelated to dancing, formed on her cheeks. _He really does look handsome,_ Cho thought in a daze, having trouble keeping her eyes locked on Harry's. _And not just because of the dress robes, either. I think I really do like him._

* * *

Soon enough, the song came to an end, and the Great Hall erupted into cheers and clapping as the crowd dispersed and began to take their seats. The champions and their partners were directed towards the end of the Hall, usually reserved for the teachers. Tonight, however, there were many more seats, not just for the teachers, headmasters, and champions, but for others as well. Ludo Bagman, the Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports, was there, looking quite jolly in his bright purple, star-spangled robes. Harry realized, however, that Mr. Crouch wasn't there. In his stead was Ron's prissy brother, Percy.

As they all approached the table, Percy looked pointedly at Harry and drew out the chair next to him. Harry began to walk towards him, when all of a sudden, Cho's grip on his arm tightened and she began steering them towards Cedric and Marietta.

"Harry, can we sit next Marietta? I wanted to keep an eye on her."

"Um, sure," Harry replied, feeling quite relieved that he wouldn't be forced to listen to Percy drone on about cauldron bottoms or any other sort of blather. He sent what he hoped was an apologetic shrug in Percy's direction, and he and Cho sat down next Marietta and Cedric. Harry and Cedric exchanged polite nods as their partners, seated between them and next to each other, began to engage in whispered conversation, both of them giggling like mad. Harry had never seen Cho act so girly before. She was feminine, of course, but she was a bit more reserved than other girls he knew. Tonight, however, she was pulling out all the stops, whispering into Marietta's ear, laughing under her breath and casting quick glances at him before turning away again to laugh some more.

_I really hope they're not just laughing at me,_ Harry thought cautiously. _I thought I did pretty well out there._ Trying to distract himself, he looked over her appearance once more. He couldn't help but ask himself how this had happened, that he'd been lucky enough to have Cho, the most beautiful girl in the whole school (in his honest opinion), as his partner to the Yule Ball. The way she smiled and laughed, her dress, her hair, and even her skin, they all seemed to glow brightly. She was so…radiant.

These thoughts were abruptly interrupted, however, by Cedric Diggory.

"Potter," Cedric called casually, "mind if I have a word?"

Harry, taken aback, replied, "Sure," and rose from his seat. As he did, Cho looked up from her conversation, looking worried.

"Everything alright, Harry?" she asked.

"Oh, yeah, don't worry about it," Harry said. "I'll be right back, okay?"

"Sure, alright," Cho replied, though she still looked worried. Harry smiled reassuringly at her, then began following Cedric through a back door in the Hall. Once the music and chatter had faded somewhat, Cedric turned to him, a serious look on his face.

"Harry, you notice anything strange tonight?" he asked.

"Not really," Harry replied slowly. "What's this all about, Cedric?"

"Look, something odd's been happening at Hogwarts this year, and I'm trying to figure out what," Cedric said impatiently, looking around as if he didn't want them to be overheard. "Your name coming out of the goblet, Crouch not being here, Karkaroff, they're all connected!"

"Hold on, Cedric," Harry began indignantly. "I didn't put my name in that cup, I thought you knew that!"

"Of course I know, Harry!" Cedric said, raising a hand to stop any more accusations. "That's what I mean. I know you didn't put your name in. Listen," he paused, looking around again furtively, "all I'm saying is, you need to be careful. I get the feeling these things aren't accidents. I just want you to keep an eye out, alright?"

_He sounds just like Sirius,_ Harry thought. _They seem to think I'm helpless. But why does Cedric care about all this?_ On the outside, he replied, "Yeah, I will."

* * *

"Where did they go?" Marietta asked suddenly, interrupting her conversation with Cho and looking around them. There were many students still dancing, and everyone else was eating. Cho looked at the crowd, trying to see if Harry was there, but she couldn't see anyone.

_That's a little rude,_ she thought, slightly annoyed. _Then again, I sort of left him with only Cedric to talk to. Guess I shouldn't complain. _Just as she was thinking this, Harry and Cedric reappeared and took their seats next to them. Cedric looked as impassive as ever, but Harry looked slightly frustrated. "Is everything alright?" Cho asked tentatively, not knowing what had put him in this mood.

"Oh, yeah," Harry replied, a little too quickly. "Cedric and I were just talking."

"About what?" Cho asked curiously.

"Um," Harry replied, glancing warily at Cedric before saying, "just the tournament."

Cho wasn't fooled. She could tell Harry didn't want to talk about his conversation with Cedric. She let it go, but only because this wasn't the time nor the place for interrogation. _I might ask later,_ she thought. But for now she would play along. "Alright, then," she replied. As silence fell between them, she knew she had to change the subject, without looking obvious. She turned to him, bringing to mind their dance, and smiled, saying, "I thought you said you couldn't dance, Harry. I thought you did really well."

"Yeah, I'm not sure what came over me," he chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head. "I couldn't have done it without your help, though. Imagine if I'd come by myself." They laughed, putting aside the strange moment with Cedric.

"You wouldn't have tried asking anyone else? I'm flattered," Cho teased.

"Well-that's-I-yeah," Harry mumbled, trying not to turn red. "I mean, there really isn't anyone else I'd have asked."

"Not even Hermione?" Cho asked playfully, but with purpose as well. She wanted to see how he'd react.

"What? No, not even," Harry laughed, genuinely surprised. "She's my friend. I can't even begin to imagine that."

_See, what did I tell you?_ Cho's inner voice asked her. _Out of my head, I'm busy!_ Cho replied angrily, and the Voice went silent. On the outside, she just laughed and said, "I know, Harry, I'm just teasing you."

"What about you?" Harry asked. "You told me earlier that you hadn't been planning on coming here tonight. Did you mean it?"

"Yeah, I did," Cho replied.

"So, why did you agree to come with me? Any special reason?"

Cho thought about it some, then said, "I just wanted to know you better. I mean, not to see if you were a prat or anything like that."

"Oh, I know you don't think that," Harry told her reassuringly. "It's refreshing to be with someone who doesn't think I strut about Hogwarts, acting like I own the place."

"I've never heard that one before," Cho said, looking amused. "Who said that?"

"Professor Snape," Harry deadpanned. Cho snorted into her food, which set Harry off as well. As they began to laugh harder, others around them began to notice them, and they asked themselves if those two had gone mad.

Elsewhere, Snape was gripped by an overwhelming need to sneeze.

* * *

As the evening wore on, Cho began to ask questions about Harry's life, such as how he first realized he was a wizard, his favourite subjects, and most importantly, what his favourite colour was. Harry, too, wanted to ask her questions about her life, but he wasn't sure how to ask. He didn't want to offend her with anything that was too personal. But then he realized that Cho was asking him questions that made him feel uncomfortable, but he wasn't feeling particularly offended about it. It was all a matter of perspective, he realized.

Cho had just finished asking him about his time at the Quidditch World Cup that summer, when all of a sudden Professor Flitwick raised his voice and began to call for the students' attention. It appeared that he was announcing their musical entertainment for the night. Harry didn't know how it happened, but Cho suddenly grabbed his arm and began pulling him toward the crowd of students gathering around a stage that had been erected against a wall in the Great Hall. "Harry, come on!" she practically screamed. "They're about to start!"

"Who are?" Harry asked as they reached the edge of the crowd and tried to politely shove their way through. He never got an answer, as Cho had begun shouting with the crowd, and Flitwick had merely called them the 'band that needs no introduction'.

"All right, Hogwarts!" a man shouted, and the crowd went wild.

_Who are they?!_ Harry thought exasperatedly.

The man, presumably the lead singer, continued, "Are you ready for some real music?!" The whole crowd screamed their assent. "Come on, I want to see your hands in the air!" Everyone raised their hands and began jumping up and down as the band began to play a fast beat. "You're looking good! We're going to teach you a brand new dance tonight!"

"I love their music!" Cho shouted, bouncing up and down with excitement. Harry, not knowing what else to do, did likewise. And he had to admit, the intro to their song was starting to get him pumped.

"Are you ready?!" the lead singer shouted. "ARE YOU READY?!" He launched into the first verse,

"Move your body like a hairy troll, learnin' to rock n' roll…"

* * *

The next hour was a blur for Cho. She remembered there was a lot of screaming and jumping and dancing. She couldn't remember the last time she'd had this much fun. Harry was enjoying himself very much as well. Apparently, the answer to the Weird Sisters' repeated question was yes, Harry and Cho could, in fact, dance like hippogriffs. It wasn't so much dancing as it was jumping around and flailing their arms about. There was even a point where Harry spread out his arms as if they were wings and began to spin around. That move became very popular, so much so that others began to imitate it.

The song was over all too soon, but the night was still young. The Weird Sisters struck up another song, and then another and another. Harry and Cho kept dancing, seeming to never tire. Eventually, however, they did. They left the dance floor, looking for drinks, when something caught Harry's eye.

"Hold on a minute, Cho," Harry said, looking worried. She followed his line of sight and saw that Harry was looking at his friend Ron and his partner, Padma. They didn't seem to be having a good time at all.

"Do you think something's wrong?" Cho asked.

"It looks like it," Harry replied grimly. "Do you mind if we head over there for a bit?"

"Not at all, we should see what's happening," Cho said. Nodding, Harry led Cho through the mostly empty tables towards their friends. Once they arrived, they realized just how badly they were feeling. Ron barely even registered that Harry was there, and Padma was too busy shooting daggers at Ron with her eyes to even notice Cho's presence.

"You all right there, mate?" Harry asked nervously. Ron didn't answer. He seemed to be glaring at someone on the dance floor. Cho turned to look and saw Hermione and Krum still dancing.

_Is he staring at them?_ Cho asked herself. She glanced at Padma, and after a moment sat down next to her. "Padma," Cho whispered, trying not to interrupt Harry's conversation, "is everything alright?"

"Does it look alright to you?" Padma snapped, arms and legs crossed and a scowl on her face. "I was so looking forward to tonight, and it's been ruined."

"What happened, did he say something to you?" Cho asked.

"He hasn't said a word to me since he saw Granger and Krum," Padma replied heavily. "He hasn't stopped glaring at them since they arrived. I don't know what his problem is, and I don't care either." It was at that moment that Hermione arrived and sat down on an empty seat nearby, looking slightly pink in the face from dancing.

"Hi," Harry said. Ron didn't say anything.

"It's a bit hot, isn't it?" Hermione said breathlessly, fanning herself with her hand. "Viktor's just gone to get some drinks. Would you like to join us?"

"Yeah, that'd be nice," Harry replied enthusiastically. "What do you think, Cho?"

"Well," Cho began hesitantly, but was immediately interrupted by Ron.

"_Viktor?"_ Ron said, giving Hermione a withering look. "Hasn't he asked you to call him _Vicky_ yet?"

Hermione looked at him in surprise. "What's got your wand in a knot?" she said.

"If you don't know," said Ron scathingly, "I'm not going to tell you."

Everyone was staring at him incredulously. Cho didn't know Ron personally, but she was quite sure that he wouldn't be Harry's friend if he normally acted this way. She glanced at Harry, who looked very uncomfortable with this turn of events. Ron continued, stating that Krum was the enemy, and that he was merely using Hermione as a way to get close to Harry, or to get help for the tournament. He also mentioned something called _spew_, but she wasn't what that was. But Cho had the feeling that he was just making excuses, to cover up the true reasons behind his anger._ He must have asked her out, and she turned him down, _Cho thought. It seemed quite obvious. She glanced at Harry, and she realized that whether or not Ron secretly fancied Hermione was the furthest thing from his mind at the moment.

"Ron," Harry began quietly, "I haven't got a problem with Hermione coming with Krum-," and was promptly interrupted by him.

"Why don't you go and find Vicky, he'll be wondering where you are," Ron said sulkily.

"_Don't call him Vicky!"_

Hermione jumped to her feet and stormed off, disappearing into the crowd. Ron watched her leave with what looked like regret.

"Are you going to ask me to dance at all?" Padma asked pointedly at Ron. Cho was surprised Padma was still even there, after the whole scene.

"No."

"Fine," she snapped, getting up and leaving for another table full of Durmstrang boys. As Cho looked again, she saw Padma's sister already there, relishing in their attention.

"Vare is Herm-own-ninny?" someone asked. Looking up, they saw Krum standing there with two butterbeers in hand.

"No idea," Ron said mulishly. "Lost her, have you?"

Krum was beginning to look surly. "Vell, if you see her, tell her I haff drinks," he said, and he walked off.

After he left, silence fell over them. Cho didn't want to say anything to upset Harry or Ron, but she'd come with Harry to dance with him and to have a proper conversation without being interrupted. Just as she was about to say something, Ron broke the silence.

"Damn, why is he coming over here?" Ron hissed, looking at the dance floor. As they looked, they saw a red-haired individual walking purposefully towards them. Cho assumed that was who he meant.

He did look a bit like a prat.

"Go on, Harry," Ron continued glumly. "You and Cho have a good time. Don't mind me."

"Ron…" Harry began, only to be interrupted again.

"Look, I know I shouldn't have blown up like that," Ron said. He looked genuinely regretful. "You two came to have a good time, and you still can." He glanced at his brother's quickly advancing form and said, "I'll keep him busy."

Harry, a small smile forming on his face, formed a mock salute. "It's been a pleasure knowing you, Mr. Weasley."

"Likewise, Mr. Potter," he replied, also smiling despite his circumstances. As they got up to leave, Cho said, "Bye, Ron." He nodded back in reply. Walking away towards the drink stand, they heard Percy say, quite pompously,

"Made friends with Viktor Krum, have you, Ron?"

* * *

"I'm really sorry about that, back there," Harry said quietly. He and Cho were walking around the snow covered courtyard and a drink in their hands. Cho turned to him and gently took his hand, squeezing it lightly.

"You don't have to apologize, Harry," Cho replied. "I don't think you could've seen that coming."

"Yeah, I suppose so," Harry said, though he still felt guilty. "They used to hate each other, did you know that?"

"They did?" Cho asked, surprised. "I've always seen you three together. It wasn't always like that?"

"Not at first, no," Harry said, thinking back to that day and smiling at the memory of it. "In our first year, she came into our compartment on the train, and she showed him up in a little contest. She fixed my glasses, and he tried to turn his rat yellow. It didn't work, and she acted quite superior about it."

"Then how did you become friends with her?" Cho asked.

"Let's just say, we have a mountain troll to thank for our friendship," Harry said, trying to be mysterious. Cho wasn't having that, of course.

"Come on!" she pleaded, taking his hand with both of hers and pouting. "Tell me the whole story!"

"Well," Harry began, feeling quite proud of himself on making Cho beg, "…it was in our first year, on Halloween night…"

He went on to recount the events of that day, pausing every now and then to allow Cho time to process his story and to answer any questions she had. Naturally, she had many.

"Wait, you stuck your wand up its nose?" she asked, out of breath from laughing.

"Yeah, it was disgusting," Harry said, smiling. He screwed up his face and imitated himself in his first year, _"Ugh, troll bogeys!" _They both burst out laughing.

"And then?" Cho asked.

"She took the blame for the whole thing," Harry replied. "All the teachers burst in on us, and Hermione told them that she'd gone looking for the troll. And since then we've been friends."

"Wow," Cho said admiringly. They walked on in comfortable silence, Cho processing everything Harry had told her, and Harry enjoying the warmth of Cho's hand in his. Then, Cho said something he wasn't expecting, "You're family must be proud of you."

"Um, not really," Harry mumbled, starting to feel uncomfortable. This was a subject he wasn't so keen to discuss.

"What do you mean?" Cho asked, beginning to notice his discomfort. They stopped walking.

"It's… hard to explain," Harry said tersely. He had let go of her hand. "You haven't heard the rumours?"

"I thought that's all they were, just rumours," Cho replied. She looked surprised at his sudden change of demeanour. "I stopped listening to them altogether."

"Oh," Harry said, slightly gladdened by what she said. "Well, I think it's pretty safe for you to believe pretty much everything you hear about the Dursleys."

"That bad?" Cho asked.

"Pretty much," Harry replied heavily. He sat down on a bench nearby, with Cho following suit. "It's not something I like to talk about. Maybe another time?"

"Sure," Cho said. She paused, looking thoughtful. Suddenly, she smiled and said, "So, there'll be 'another time', huh?"

"Um, yeah, of course," Harry said, surprised by how she turned the conversation around. The way she smiled, so mischievously, was really growing on him. "Yeah, definitely."

"Good," she replied softly. "You know, Harry, you're not at all what everyone says you are."

"Really?" Harry asked nervously, noticing how Cho had started leaning towards him ever so slightly. "How do you figure?"

"You don't like drawing attention to yourself," she replied. "You're very humble. I just gave you an opportunity to show off, to rag on about how horrible your life is, but you didn't take it."

"Oh," Harry said again, surprised by how blunt she was. _She's definitely not what I expected,_ Harry thought. "I…hadn't thought of it that way."

"See?" Cho said, smiling even more. "Humble." She looked up, and Harry, following her gaze, realized with a jolt that they had been sitting underneath a mistletoe the entire time. "Mistletoe," Cho mumbled, looking back at Harry and staring intently into his eyes. He tried to look back, but caught himself glancing at her lips.

They both began leaning toward each other…

* * *

_Meanwhile…_

Ron had finally managed to escape from Percy after collecting all the useful information he had on Mr. Crouch. Pretending to want another drink (which wasn't entirely a lie), Ron left the table and slipped out into the entrance hall. Seeing the front doors open into the courtyard, he stepped outside. Fairy lights were twinkling all around him, and the paths were lined with rose bushes and romantic statues. Looking around, Ron noticed that there quite a few people out and about the courtyard. After some searching, Ron caught sight of Harry and Cho sitting on a bench, not too far from him.

As he watched, he saw them begin to lean toward each other. Ron looked away, not wanting to watch them, but at the same time, he felt quite proud of Harry. "Good on you, mate," Ron said quietly, and began walking down a different path.

Wanting to avoid everyone in general, Ron began to follow a path that seemed to lead toward a solitary fountain. He was interrupted, however, by a familiar and unpleasant voice.

"…don't see what there is to fuss about, Igor."

"Severus, you cannot pretend this isn't happening!" Karkaroff's voice sounded anxious and hushed, as though he didn't want them to be overheard. "It's been getting clearer and clearer for months. I am becoming seriously concerned, I can't deny it-"

"Then flee," Snape's voice said curtly. "Flee-I will make your excuses. I, however, am remaining at Hogwarts."

As he paused, he saw Snape and Karkaroff walking on a different path. Snape was blasting apart bushes that were hiding students and taking points from them. Suddenly, Ron realized that their path would lead them straight to where Harry and Cho were. Gathering his courage, Ron went out of his way to intercept them.

"And what are you doing, Weasley?" Snape said, catching sight of Ron on the path ahead. Karkaroff, Ron saw, looked slightly discomposed to see him there. He began to nervously stroke his goatee.

"I'm walking," Ron told Snape shortly. "Not against the law, is it?"

"Keep walking, then!" Snape snarled, and he brushed past him, walking on a path that wouldn't lead them to Harry and Cho. Karkaroff hurried away after Snape, and Ron continued to walk toward the fountain.

_What's got Karkaroff all worried?_ Ron wondered.

He reached the fountain, which had large statue of a reindeer on top of it. As he approached it, Ron realized that someone was there. Two large outlines were visible beyond the sparkling jets of water from the fountain. Just as he was about to turn and walk away, he heard one of them speak,

"Momen' I saw yeh, I knew."

Ron froze. It was Hagrid.

* * *

_Midnight_

The Yule Ball at last came to an end, with the Weird Sisters playing their final song. Harry and Cho had spent the night dancing, talking, and just enjoying each other's company. They allowed themselves to forget the stress and the worries of their day to day lives, and simply had as much fun as they could.

As they walked towards the Ravenclaw Tower, Harry began to feel nervous once again. He remembered their moment under the mistletoe very vividly (he'd probably dream about it), but he wasn't sure if Cho wanted to do it again. _Just wing it,_ Harry thought nervously as they arrived, too quickly in his opinion. Cho faced him, taking both of his hands into hers, and smiled expectantly.

"Well, Harry," she said breathlessly. "I had a wonderful time tonight. I hope you feel the same." She looked down at her feet shyly, trying to cover her blush.

"Yeah, I did too," Harry replied earnestly. Gently, he raised Cho's chin with his fingers, meeting her eyes. He looked into them _(Her eyes are so beautiful),_ then leaned forward. As Cho did the same, he closed his eyes and pressed his lips to hers gently. Her lips were incredibly soft. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, while he put his hands on her waist. They stayed that way for what seemed like a very long time, deepening their kiss.

"How long are two going to stay out here?" a voice asked them. They separated, looking up in surprise. Standing there were Cedric and Marietta, looking quite amused.

"Hey, don't mind us," Marietta teased, walking around them toward the staircase. "Goodnight, Cedric," she said dreamily.

"Goodnight, Marietta, my sweet," Cedric replied, just as dreamily as she had. They all heard her sigh contentedly as she climbed the staircase and disappeared.

"Um, goodnight, Cho," Harry said softly, feeling nervous but elated at the same time. "See you soon?"

"Definitely," Cho replied, smiling shyly. She took his hand and squeezed it softly, before making her way up the staircase herself. Before she disappeared, she took one last glance over her shoulder at him, smiling and waving her fingers in farewell. Soon, she was gone as well.

"Had a good time, I suppose?" Cedric asked. Harry, who had been entranced by Cho the entire time, jolted as if he had woken from a dream. He had almost forgotten that Cedric was there.

"Yeah, it was…great," Harry replied, at a loss for words to describe how he felt. He was almost completely sure this was the best night of his life.

"Good, that's good," Cedric said, almost to himself. As Harry began coming to his senses again, he realized that the smiling Cedric who had sweet-talked Marietta earlier was gone. In his place was the more serious individual he had seen of late. "Tell me, Harry, have you figured out the clue from the egg yet?"

"Not yet," Harry replied warily. "Why?"

"Listen," Cedric said quietly, looking around much as he had earlier done. "Take your egg into one of the bathrooms-better yet, take it to the prefects' bathroom on the fifth floor. Just…mull things over in the hot water."

"Cedric, are you feeling alright?" Harry asked nervously. He was beginning to think Cedric was joking.

"Yeah, spectacular," Cedric replied tersely. "Why?"

"It's nothing," Harry said quickly. "I'll keep it in mind."

"Good," Cedric said again. "I'll see you around," and just like that, he turned around and walked away.

* * *

…_**Step aside, Wormtail, so I can give our guest a proper greeting!**_

In the Gryffindor dormitory, Harry emerged from his nightmare, sweating and breathing heavily. _Not that dream again! _Harry thought exasperatedly. _They keep happening! What's wrong with me?!_

* * *

2nd AN: I would just like to reiterate, yes, I'm still alive.

The moment has arrived, the change has occurred. What will happen next?

As you can see, like Ron did in this chapter, sometimes other characters will take the lead in certain parts. I will be focusing mostly on Harry and Cho, but I'm just letting you guys know that this will happen sometimes.

I'd just like to thank you all again for your support. It does keep me motivated. I'm not sure when I'll be able to update this story again, but I assure you that I will not abandon it. In the meantime, keep flying and stay shiny.

Disclaimer: I don't own either Harry Potter or Firefly. Just throwing that out there.


	6. Chapter 6

_**办不到**_

_A Fan Fiction Story by Gfyuwatr7_

_Author__'__s note_: Sorry for the delay of the last chapter. Unfortunately, I can't promise quick updates either. I'll do my best, I promise.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, its characters, ideas, films, novels, or anything in between. It all belongs to J. K. Rowling.

* * *

_Saturday, Mid-January_

"Aren't you ready yet, Cho?" Marietta asked hotly as she opened the door to their dormitory. "We're waiting on you now!"

"Um, almost done!" Cho said in a panic, putting away her perfume before Marietta could see it. She didn't want her to know what she had in mind for that day.

It was the middle of January. Several weeks had passed since the Yule Ball, and now the holidays were over as well. It was a Hogsmeade visit today, and Marietta decided to gather all their friends for a girls' day out. Cho wouldn't have gone (her studies were killing her slowly, she was sure of it), were it not for the fact that a week earlier, Harry had asked her out to the Hogsmeade visit. Now she found herself completing her assignments twice as fast as she normally did (_Amazing what a little motivation can do, _Cho would think to herself slyly). She couldn't explain it, but she felt something that made her want to spend more time with Harry. Since the Yule Ball, she had caught herself thinking about him more and more often. She imagined that this is what would've happened if Cedric had asked her out first.

They hadn't been able to see each other much, but whenever they saw each other out in the halls between classes, they would always share a smile. At breakfast, lunch, or dinner, they would always play a game of trying to catch a glimpse of each other. But only the previous week had they had a chance to talk again. They managed to catch up a bit, and it was during that conversation that Harry, shyly scratching the back of his head, asked her out to the next Hogsmeade visit. She had agreed very readily, of course. She wasn't going to miss this opportunity.

The only problem was, she had forgotten to tell Marietta about her plans. So while she was convinced that Cho was coming with them, Cho had actually planned to fall behind on purpose and meet Harry at the Entrance Hall.

"You guys go on ahead, I'll catch up," Cho said, hoping this would convince Marietta to leave sooner. No such luck, of course.

"Hold on," Marietta said, frowning. She walked closer to Cho, peering closer at her. "What are getting all dressed up for?"

"Um, nothing," Cho mumbled, knowing it was pointless to hide it any longer, but still trying anyway.

"Cho, something you'd like to tell me?" Marietta said threateningly.

"Marietta, I…"

"You're planning on seeing Potter again, aren't you?" Marietta accused. "When were you planning on telling me?"

"Just as soon as you told me about you and Cedric," Cho replied coolly. She wasn't jealous, she simply wanted to make sure that her friend was being treated right. Marietta, clearly, had other ideas about Cho's intentions.

"That's none of your business!" Marietta almost yelled. She paused, trying to compose herself. "Okay, look," she said in a conciliatory way. "I won't say anything about you and Harry, and you won't pry into my relationship with Cedric, alright?"

"Sure, if you say so," Cho said uncertainly. This subject had been a source of slight friction between them. They were both just trying to look out for each other.

"Still," Marietta said grumpily. "I think you should've at least mentioned you were still interested in Harry, right? Would that have been so hard?"

* * *

"Chilly out here, isn't it?" Cho asked bracingly. She and Harry were walking to Hogsmeade, a wizard village near Hogwarts. Those at the age of thirteen and above, and with written permission from their parents or guardians, were allowed to visit it every once in a while, like a small holiday. There were many shops there; supply shops, joke shops, pubs, and other tourist traps. It was also a great place to go on dates, or so Harry had been told.

"Yeah, but I don't mind," Harry replied. Deciding on a daring move, he slipped his hand into hers. "I do like to be a bit warm, though."

"Me too," Cho said, looking down shyly and squeezing his hand. "By the way, how are your friends? Are they still mad at each other?"

"Ron and Hermione? They're…okay, I think," Harry replied slowly. "They talk to each other and everything, but they're also a bit formal. It doesn't feel right."

"I'm sorry," Cho said somberly. "I didn't mean to remind you."

"Oh, it's alright," Harry reassured her. "They just need time to think. They'll be fine."

The last few weeks had been hectic for him. He'd had to deal with the formalness of Ron and Hermione's conversations. But that hadn't been the worst of it. Ron had told him and Hermione about the conversation Ron had overheard on the night of the Yule Ball. Learning that Hagrid was a half-giant hadn't really surprised Harry, but according to Ron, giants were vicious creatures. Harry knew that Hagrid wasn't dangerous, but Ron was concerned with how others would react if they knew.

They didn't have long to wait. On their first class after the holidays, they'd gone down to Hagrid's cabin for their Care of Magical Creatures' class. Instead of finding Hagrid waiting for them, however, they found his temporary replacement. According to her, Hagrid was 'indisposed', whatever that meant. He also learned from Malfoy (_that git!) _that Rita Skeeter, who shouldn't have even been on school grounds anymore, had written an article about Hagrid's giant heritage. He realized that Hagrid was hiding in shame.

Over the next week, he, Ron, and Hermione had been waiting for him to come back to work, or to dinner, at least. But he never came. Eventually, they decided that they would look for him on their next Hogsmeade visit.

"How are you doing with the egg, by the way?" Cho asked casually. Harry's stomach lurched as his train of thought was interrupted.

"Um, I've nearly cracked it, I think," he replied, trying to sound confident. Cho seemed to believe him, nodding and smiling.

"Good, otherwise, I would've told you not to come," she teased. Harry laughed nervously, but as she turned away, he grimaced. He didn't like lying to Cho, or to anyone, for that matter (unless they deserved it). He knew he had to figure out the clue from the egg, and fast. He hadn't taken Cedric's advice on the matter, due to the fact that he was beginning to think that Cedric was slightly…unstable.

"So, where do you want to go first?" Cho asked, bringing him out of his thoughts.

"Oh, I was thinking we could go to the Three Broomsticks, how's that sound?" Harry said. He, Ron, and Hermione had agreed on a plan for the day. Ron and Hermione would search the shops for Hagrid first, then gradually work their way to the Three Broomsticks, giving Harry enough time with Cho alone. He wanted to enjoy his visit, but he also knew that there was a chance that Hagrid might be in Hogsmeade. He just hoped that Hagrid would be open to them.

"Sure, that sounds good," Cho replied. "Though I've also heard that Madam Puddifoot's is a nice place."

"You're a terrible human being, Shepard!"

A young woman, perhaps sixteen years old, stormed out of a shop, her erstwhile boyfriend in tow. Harry and Cho looked up at the sign above the shop. It was Madam Puddifoot's.

"On second thought," Cho said glumly, "maybe not."

* * *

Entering the Three Broomsticks, they looked around and saw that the pub was as crowded as ever. They went up to the bar and ordered their drinks. As Madame Rosmerta prepared them, Cho took a second glance at their surroundings and noticed Ludo Bagman in the corner, apparently having a discussion with a few goblins. They didn't look very happy.

"What do you think Mr. Bagman is doing here?" Cho said, pointing into the mirror behind the bar, where she had a good view of them. Harry glanced into the mirror.

"That's weird," he mumbled. "The next task isn't until next month, and there isn't any event going on. Let's not stare, though," he added quickly. "Don't want him to think we're trying to spy on him."

"That would be awkward," Cho agreed, accepting a mug of butterbeer and taking a sip of it.

"Cho," Harry began carefully. "Do you mind if ask you something?"

"Sure, what is it?" Cho said curiously.

"Actually, it's more a like a few things," Harry said, scratching the back of his head again. (_I really like how he does that,_ Cho thought.) "I didn't really ask anything about you at the ball."

"Sure, go for it," Cho replied, glad that he was finally going to ask about her life. She'd asked him many things already, now it was his turn.

"Are you from Scotland?" Harry asked.

"Did my accent give it away?" Cho teased. "Yeah, I was born there. But my mom is from China and my dad was Korean."

"Really?" Harry said, surprised. "That's great. Do you speak Korean?"

"I wish I could," Cho said wistfully. "But I didn't get a chance to learn it when I was young. My dad died when I hadn't been born yet."

"I'm sorry," Harry said, humbled. "I didn't know."

"That's alright," Cho reassured him. "It was a long time ago, and I didn't even know him. I have a step-dad now, but…"

"But it's not the same," Harry finished quietly. He took her hand and squeezed it gently.

_He knows what it__'__s like, _Cho thought sadly. _We__'__ve both lost family. Family that we can__'__t ever know. _They leaned toward each other…

"Harry, my boy!" a voice boomed out suddenly behind them. "How are you? Been hoping to run into you! Everything going all right?"

"Um, Mr. Bagman…" a startled Harry began.

"Wonder if I could have a quick, private word, Harry?" Bagman continued, not waiting for an answer on Harry's part. "You couldn't give us a minute, young lady, could you?"

"Excuse me?" Cho said, quite angry by that point. "You can't just barge in on us like that! And anything you want to say to Harry, you can say in front of me."

"Now, now, miss," Bagman said firmly, after recovering from her response. "I really must insist on speaking with Harry in private."

Cho sighed, fuming slightly at this man's audacity. "可恶的老暴君," she muttered under her breath, before saying to Harry, "Let me know when you're done, okay?" He nodded in response, giving her an apologetic look. As she walked away toward a window, she wondered what Bagman had to say that was so bloody important, he couldn't wait for her and Harry to finish their heartfelt conversation. She tried waiting patiently for them to finish, but, not knowing whether it was her imagination or not, they were taking their sweet time. She glanced over at them for what seemed like the tenth time in under a minute. She noticed that both Harry and Bagman were looking uncomfortable.

Eventually, help arrived in an expected form. The Weasley twins, Ron's brothers, entered the pub and seemed to make a beeline straight for Bagman. They exchanged a few words, and he eventually left. Interestingly, the goblins he had been speaking to earlier followed him out. It appeared they weren't finished with him yet.

Harry rejoined Cho at a table near the window. "What did he want?" she asked coolly.

"He offered to help me with the golden egg," Harry said.

"What? He's not supposed to, is he?" said Cho indignantly. "He's a judge, that's playing favorites! And he thinks you can't figure it out on your own, how condescending!"

"Er, right," Harry replied, quickly changing the subject. "Those goblins didn't look happy to see him. He told me they were looking for Crouch. He hasn't come to work lately."

"That's right, I didn't see him at the Yule Ball," said Cho. "My mum works at the Ministry, she sent me a letter saying the same thing. Maybe he's sick?"

"Could be," Harry muttered. He looked pensive for a moment, then seemed to recover. He seemed almost guilty. "I'm sorry that got out of hand. I really wish people would leave us alone."

"It's fine, Harry," said Cho. "We still have some time, you know. We could go by the Shrieking Shack. I've always been scared to go by myself, but if you came with me…"

"Um, sure," Harry stammered, caught off guard by how suggestive her voice had become. "Though I think I've been in that place enough for a lifetime."

"Wait, you've been **inside** the Shrieking Shack?" Cho asked him incredulously. "What other adventures haven't you told me about?"

"Believe me, a lot," said Harry, smiling a little proudly. "We haven't touched even the tip of the iceberg yet."

"Really?" she asked, feeling excited. "I can't wait to hear about them."

"Harry, Cho, over here!"

Turning in their seats, they saw Ron and Hermione entering the pub and motioning them to join them in their hiding spot in the back room. Before either Harry or Cho could remark on the situation, they heard Ron mutter, "Uh-oh," and saw him staring at the door.

Rita Skeeter had just entered. She was wearing a set eye-watering banana yellow robes. With her was her photographer. She bought some drinks and she and her photographer made their way to a table near them. With Ron and Hermione having managed to join Harry and Cho at their table unseen, they all began glaring at Rita as she approached. She was talking about Ludo Bagman, and appeared to be very satisfied with something.

"…he was always a bad liar. Reckon something's up? Think we should do a bit of digging? 'Disgraced Ex-Head of Magical Games and Sports, Ludo Bagman…' Snappy start to a sentence, Bozo-we just need to find a story to fit it-"

"Trying to ruin someone else's life?" Harry asked loudly.

A few people, including Cho, looked up at him in surprise. Rita Skeeter's eyes widened behind her glasses.

"Harry!" she said, beaming. "How lovely! Why don't you come and join-?"

"I wouldn't come near you with a ten-foot broomstick," said Harry furiously. Cho had never heard his voice coated in so much venom. It was quite scary for her. "What did you do that to Hagrid for, eh?"

Rita Skeeter raised her eyebrows.

"Our readers have a right to the truth, Harry. I am merely doing my-"

"Who cares if he's half-giant?!" Harry shouted. "There's nothing wrong with him!"

Now the whole pub had their eyes on their confrontation. The whole place had gone silent. Rita Skeeter's smile flickered slightly, but she hitched it back almost at once; she snapped open her handbag, pulled out her Quick-Quotes Quill, and said, "How about giving me an interview about the Hagrid _you_ know, Harry? The man behind the muscles? Your unlikely friendship and the reasons behind it. Would you call him a father substitute?"

Hermione stood up abruptly, clutching her butterbeer like a grenade.

"You horrible woman," she said, through gritted teeth, "you don't care, do you, anything for a story, and anyone will do, won't they? Even Ludo Bagman-"

"Sit down, you silly little girl, and don't talk about things you don't understand," Rita said coldly, her gaze hardening. "I know things about Ludo Bagman that would make your hair curl…not that it needs it."

"Let's go," said Hermione, "c'mon."

They all left in a hurry; many staring as they walked out. Harry and Cho glanced back as they reached the door. Rita's Quick Quotes Quill was out, and it was scribbling away madly in her notebook.

* * *

_Later__…_

"So? How'd it go?"

"It was…eventful," Cho replied, hoping to deflect any more conversation on the matter.

For in truth, it had been; she learned more about Harry and the way he treated his friends. After their confrontation with Rita Skeeter, they had gone hastily to Hagrid's hut, to convince him to come back to work. While Cho had never been close to him, she was still willing to help in any way she could. She still remembered her first day ever at Hogwarts, the way Hagrid had talked to her when she had no friends to talk to.

To their surprise, they found Professor Dumbledore there as well. He had done most of the talking already. With added testimony from Harry and Hermione, Hagrid was convinced to return to teaching. After Dumbledore had left, Hagrid showed them a picture of his father and he when he was young. And he affirmed to Harry his belief that he would win the tournament. Obviously, these things were not to be discussed with a gossip-hungry girl like Marietta Edgecombe.

"That's it? Come on, Cho, details," Marietta whined. But Cho was adamant.

"It's all between me and Harry, Marietta," said Cho severely. "I really don't want to talk about it."

"Wait, you broke up?" she exclaimed, much too loudly for Cho's comfort. Luckily, no one else was with them in the dormitory.

"What?! No!" Cho said angrily. "That didn't happen! It's…complicated. I can't talk about it." She knew she would regret not saying anything, but it was not the right time to talk about what she had learned.

"Why are you being so…never mind," Marietta muttered, sitting down heavily on her bed. "I see how it is."

"C'mon, it's not like I don't want to say," Cho said, trying to reach a compromise. "It's just personal, that's all. I'll tell you when I'm ready to, okay?"

"Sure, alright," Marietta conceded reluctantly. "I don't like it, but I'll respect it."

"Thanks," Cho replied gratefully. Later on, as everyone was getting into bed for the night, Cho lay awake, replaying the day's events over and over in her mind. In particular, Harry's comment about his relatives.

_Hagrid, look what I__'__ve got for relatives! _Harry had said furiously. _Look at the Dursleys!_

_What could they have done to make him feel this way about them? _Cho wondered sadly. He always seemed so kind to her and to his friends, but whenever it came to others who antagonized him or them, he was like an oncoming storm, loud and threatening. _I do that sometimes, too, though,_ she thought. The way she had reacted to Cedric's initial rejection of Marietta, and more recently with Ludo Bagman, showed that. She wondered if she and Harry could work, if they were both prone to fiery outbursts. These thoughts and others swirled through her mind well into the night, and it wasn't until some time later that she finally fell asleep.

* * *

_Meanwhile__…_

Harry clambered through the portrait hole into the Gfryffindor Common room, heart beating wildly in his chest. He had just returned from the prefects' bathroom, his golden egg in his arms. Now he knew about the Second Task; something precious to him would be taken, and he would need to retrieve it from the Black Lake in under an hour. After he had learned this, he'd had a near confrontation with Snape, Filch, Mrs. Norris, and Mad-Eye Moody. Luckily, Moody decided not to turn him in, and he sent the others away before speaking to him.

With some parting advice, Moody had left with the Marauder's Map that Harry let him borrow. As Harry returned to bed, he realized that he'd never considered being an Auror, a dark-wizard catcher, before. It made sense, really. He'd stopped Professor Quirrel in his first year, and one could definitely say that he was a dark wizard.

Just before he fell asleep, Harry remembered something, something he had thought could not happen. Mr. Crouch's name had been on the Map, but there had been another name, following Mr. Crouch's near Snape's office.

That name was Cedric Diggory.

* * *

2nd AN: Thanks for all the faves, follows, and reviews, they really keep me going. This story will probably be only a few more chapters more, I don't want to write the whole of Goblet of Fire _ad verbatim_. That's just silly.

Once I'm done, I'll be focusing on another story I want to write. Rest assured, I will continue this story with an AU of Order of the Phoenix. I plan to write the story all the way to the end.

Again, thanks for all the support, please R&R (constructive criticism welcome), and I'll write again soon.


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